Nick Major on Red Tractor’s poultry review, cutting bureaucracy and building trust
The next generation of Red Tractor poultry standards is beginning to take shape, with promises of less paperwork, smarter use of technology and a greater focus on practical farm assurance rather than box-ticking.
For Nick Major, who joined Red Tractor as head of poultry last November after a 38-year career with feed business ForFarmers, the challenge is about rebuilding confidence in assurance and ensuring producers feel they have a genuine voice in shaping it.
In an interview with Poultry Business, Major says the organisation has learned important lessons from the Farm Assurance Review and is taking a much more collaborative approach.
“We want farmers to feel Red Tractor is something they take pride in rather than something that’s simply done to them,” he says.
From feed industry to farm assurance
Although new to Red Tractor, Major is no stranger to the poultry supply chain. An agriculture graduate from Harper Adams University, he spent almost four decades with the same business as it evolved from BOCM Pauls to become ForFarmers.
His career covered commercial management, marketing and leadership across multiple livestock sectors before moving into corporate affairs, where sustainability, supply chains and policy became his focus. Alongside this, he chaired the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) and served as president of the European feed manufacturers’ federation.
The opportunity to join Red Tractor appealed because of the scheme’s role in maintaining public confidence in British farming.
“Farming faces plenty of challenges, but one thing we do have is very high consumer trust,” he says. “A large part of that is recognition of the Red Tractor logo, and that’s something worth supporting and developing.”
Reviewing every standard
Rather than making wholesale changes, the current poultry review is examining every existing standard individually.
The Technical Advisory Committee, bringing together expertise from chicken, turkey and duck production, has reviewed the standards line by line, deciding whether each requirement should be retained, amended or removed.
The review is guided by the poultry sector board, which includes representatives from across the supply chain.
Among the biggest objectives is reducing audit burden. Major believes assurance should move away from checking whether documents have simply been updated and instead concentrate on what is happening on farm.
“It would be much better if assessments focused on talking to people, looking at the birds and assessing welfare indicators rather than checking paperwork that may be identical to last year’s version except for the date,” he says.
Digital technology
One of the most significant themes emerging from the review is the increasing role of technology and farm data.
Red Tractor has already upgraded its producer portal to allow documents, policies and evidence to be uploaded in advance of inspections. In future, assessors could review much of this information before arriving on farm, allowing visits to focus on livestock and management rather than paperwork.
Beyond that, Major sees enormous potential in the growing amount of information generated automatically by modern poultry units.
Sensors, cameras, weighing systems and environmental monitors already collect huge amounts of welfare and performance data. The question is how that information can be used responsibly.
Red Tractor is establishing a poultry data governance group to explore how anonymised and aggregated data might support both assurance and the wider industry.
For example, welfare information collected across thousands of farms could provide robust evidence to support discussions with government and demonstrate the industry’s standards using real-world data rather than anecdotal claims.
Artificial intelligence is also likely to change the way assurance works.
Traditional inspections provide only a snapshot of performance on a single day. Continuous monitoring could eventually create a much more accurate picture of welfare and management throughout the year.
Major is careful to stress that any move in this direction will require producer confidence.
“There are always sensitivities around how data is collected, who owns it and how it is used,” he says.
The aim is to develop systems alongside farmers rather than impose them.
A lighter touch for trusted farms
Reducing audit burden is not just about technology.
The review is also considering whether farms with consistently strong compliance records should receive lighter-touch inspections or even remote assessments in certain circumstances.
“If you’ve had several assessments with no non-conformances, does it make sense to carry out exactly the same process every year?” Major asks.
Group-level auditing is another area under consideration.
Where multiple farms within an integrated business operate under identical health and safety or management systems, checking the same documents repeatedly may offer little additional value.
Instead, central systems could potentially be assessed once, reducing unnecessary duplication across individual farm visits.
Learning from past criticism
The review follows a difficult period for farm assurance after opposition to the proposed Greener Farms Commitment.
Major acknowledges those concerns but believes the current process is fundamentally different.
Rather than introducing requirements from the top down, priorities are now being established by the poultry sector board and supported by a Technical Advisory Committee representing the industry.
Environmental issues remain part of the discussion, but with a narrower focus.
“If we reviewed poultry standards without considering water or air quality, people would rightly ask whether we were doing our job properly,” Major says.
However, any environmental requirements will be tailored specifically to the poultry sector rather than following the broader approach that generated criticism previously.
Producer representation, he insists, is central throughout the process.
Improving consistency
Another recurring issue identified by farmers has been inconsistency between assessors.
Major accepts that perception matters.
“For most producers, their experience of Red Tractor comes through an assessor rather than direct contact with the organisation.”
To improve consistency, Red Tractor is holding dedicated sessions with all poultry assessor groups, gathering feedback from their experience on farm while sharing the direction of the new standards.
The intention is to ensure assessors understand not only the requirements themselves but also the principles behind them.
Why assurance still matters
Critics occasionally question whether Red Tractor is necessary at all.
Major makes the case that if it did not exist, its disappearance would increase rather than reduce burdens on farmers.
Without a common assurance scheme, individual retailers, processors and supply chain businesses would likely develop their own audit systems, resulting in multiple inspections with different requirements.
Instead of one annual assessment, farms could face numerous separate audits.
He also believes the industry would lose one of its strongest consumer assets.
“The Red Tractor logo has 25 years of recognition behind it, and consumer trust in it remains very high.”
Optimistic
Despite ongoing challenges, Major remains positive about the prospects for British poultry production.
Consumer demand continues to grow, but expansion is increasingly constrained by planning delays rather than market opportunities.
He believes new poultry buildings should be recognised as important national food infrastructure, particularly when they are designed to meet higher welfare standards.
Too often, he argues, planning applications become bogged down in lengthy objection processes despite supporting food security and modern production.
If those barriers can be addressed, Major sees considerable potential.
Combined with advances in technology, better use of data and a more collaborative approach to assurance, he believes the poultry sector is well placed for future growth.
For Red Tractor, success will ultimately depend on delivering standards that maintain consumer confidence while making life easier, not harder, for the farmers expected to meet them.
As the consultation progresses later this year, that balance will be closely watched across the industry.