The NFU Council have unanimously agreed to the creation of two reviews aiming to 'revolutionise' farm assurance schemes in England and Wales.
The first will examine the governance of Red Tractor, whose controversial 'bolt-on' Greener Farms Commitment (GFC) module is due to come into effect next April.
The second will look more widely at farm assurance and will be aimed at 'revolutionising' farm to fork assurance.
Last week, the NFU Council called for an independent review of the governance of Red Tractor following industry backlash against the GFC, particularly over the module's lack of consultation and the way its being roll out.
The council agreed today that the work should be completed in time for its next meeting in January.
NFU Council members agreed that this work on Red Tractor didn’t go far enough to deal with wider and deeper issues around assurance, and would not be able to identify the opportunities and changes needed.
For the Red Tractor governance review, the union will aim to establish Red Tractor’s decision-making procedures and their transparency.
The review will examine who is consulted by Red Tractor in its development of standards, and when.
It will also look at the balance of this feedback and how Red Tractor engages with farmers.
The second larger review, proposed by NFU President Minette Batters, will look at 'repurposing assurance in a post-Brexit world'.
The review will examine whether producers get fair value from assurance schemes and look at the relevance of assurance to different sectors.
It will also explore whether the “one size fits all” model is fair and correct while also examining the impact on farmers’ and growers’ mental health.
Mrs Batters said: “I’m very happy indeed that, after what’s been a difficult few days for all of us, the review into Red Tractor governance can now begin and we can start to build this second, far bigger, review in to assurance as a whole.
“It’s time for that to happen, so we can look at what works and what doesn’t, and to make sure assurance is fit for purpose in the years ahead.
“It’s critical that this involves a wide consultation with NFU members through their boards, both regional and sector, and also that it is a collaborative review, undertaken across all the farming organisations.”
