Retiring Red Tractor chairman David Gregory is to join the farm assurance company, Acoura, whose audit activities include work with BRC, Red Tractor, RSPCA Assured and all of Quality Meat Scotland’s audits for the pig industry.
Mr Gregory will become a special adviser to the Acoura Board as he prepares to step down as chair of Red Tractor at the end of November after six years in office.
A visiting professor at the University of Reading Centre for Food Security, a member of the industrial advisory board of the Roslin Institute and a Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology, Mr Gregory spent 26 years working for Marks & Spencer, where he was Technical Director until 2009.
Acoura, meanwhile, has over 20 years’ experience of servicing the farm and food processing sectors, working with over 25,000 farms across the UK and over 200 food manufacturers with red meat interests. It also has a number of high profile clients in the hospitality sector, including JD Wetherspoon and Gordon Ramsay.
In addition to Mr Gregory’s appointment, Acoura has also announced that two other food sector specialists are joining its team; Ton Christiaanse and Professor Lisa Ackerley.
Mr Christiaanse has 25 years board level expertise with major processing organisations, such as Vion, while Prof Ackerley regularly appears on TV and radio offering expert opinion on food safety and regulatory compliance matters.
“Issues such as sustainability, traceability and supply chain management have never been more important,” said Acoura’s group chair, Paul Egan, in welcoming the new members. “We see a huge growth in demand ahead, not just for auditing and certification but for new solutions that make managing food production safer and more transparent.”
Headline image shows (left to right) Ton Christiaanse, Lisa Ackerley and David Gregory
