Four farming unions will help oversee an industry-wide review into Red Tractor and other farm-to-fork assurance schemes in the UK.
NFU, NFU Cymru, the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) and NFU Scotland, as well as levy board AHDB, will all form part of the review steering group.
Work will include an exploration of best practice and consideration of how methods of assurance can provide value to farmers in a fast-changing environment.
The review, in which the views from the farming industry and wider supply chain are needed, will also look at the relationship between assurance and regulation.
It comes after the Red Tractor was urged to discontinue its controversial Greener Farms Commitment (GFC) module.
Any resumption of work on the voluntary, bolt-on module would be 'extremely damaging' to Red Tractor’s reputation, the five groups warned.
In October, Red Tractor received significant backlash from the industry over the module due to a lack of consultation over it.
The farming unions and AHDB are now in the process of appointing commissioners who will be responsible for setting the terms of reference and a timeline to ensure the process provides clear outcomes.
Four commissioners have already been appointed, including Dr David Llewellyn, who will be the lead commissioner. He is the former vice chancellor of Harper Adams University.
Dr Llewellyn, who worked there for 23 years, said a well-structured farm-level assurance system should be efficient, effective and economically viable for farmers and the wider supply chain.
He added that it should also provide confidence to retailers, other food businesses and consumers, that UK produce is among the best in the world.
“I look forward to getting the review under way, and to the Commission engaging with industry to see how the assurance system can meet the future needs of food producers while underpinning our collective aim to continue the delivery of a high-quality UK food system.”
The review aims to seek feedback from farmers about all farm assurance schemes with a view to revolutionising the network, making it 'truly fit for the future'.
It will examine how assurance can deliver value back to scheme members, and how standards are developed to meet the evolving needs of members, the markets they serve, sector diversity and in appreciation of the global marketplace.
The review will also explore how assurance schemes should fit with regulation and government schemes to best serve members.
