The Red Tractor logo is something that British farming can hang its hat on as new international trade agreements are negotiated.
That’s the view of Jim Moseley, chairman of Assured Food Standards which runs the assurance scheme.
Speaking at the NFU’s Conference, he said that with the huge challenge of opening up international trade destinations in light of Brexit, there is significant potential to use an established assurance scheme as a unique selling point for British food and drink.
“The standards that Red Tractor food is produced to run right the way through the supply chain and are comprehensive,” he said.
“It’s something that British food can hang its hat on and use as a selling point.
“Markets are opening up and we should take advantage of that. Take the Asia-Pacific region as an example; they love the quality, safety and traceability that British assured products deliver.”
In the UK, two-thirds of consumers recognise the logo, while half say it positively affects their shopping decisions.
Today the logo appears on more than £14 billion of food and drink and there are more than 60,000 assured farm businesses in the UK.
Moseley said many consumers have traditionally viewed the logo as an indication of British provenance. But now the focus needs to be on telling the whole story of what the logo stands for.
On the first day of the conference, Tuesday 21 February, Defra Secretary of State Andrea Leadsom said that the UK’s animal welfare standards put it in the top four countries in the world.
Moseley said: “I believe that we now have the opportunity to behave more like a brand and something that we can really shout about both at home and abroad.
“But we need to harness the continued support of the whole industry, including the NFU, AHDB and the primary food chain.
“As consumers become more aware of what the logo stands for and continue to see it as an indication of provenance then they may actually seek out Red Tractor products even more than they do today.”
Hopes for Red Tractor’s appeal post-Brexit
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