Farm Assurance © AFS 2012

Farm Assurance Section 1:  What is farm assurance?  When and Why did it develop? Section 2:  How does farm assurance work? Section 3:  Why would a farmer become assured? Section 4:  Who is Red Tractor Assurance?  What does the Red Tractor logo mean? © AFS 2012

WHAT IS FARM ASSURANCE? WHEN AND WHY DID IT BEGIN? Section 1: © AFS 2012

WHAT is Farm Assurance?  A voluntary scheme  Encourages and monitors compliance with legal requirements and industry set standards  There are numerous different assurance schemes, each with different focuses and geographical reach  Farm Assured Welsh Livestock – Welsh Beef and Lamb  RSPCA Freedom Food – Animal Welfare in Great Britain  Farm Assurance is one the of the first steps in the assurance chain  There are chains for each of the major commodities: © AFS 2012

Assured final product Assured Haulage Assured Market/ Collection Centre Assured Abattoir/ Processor Assured Feed Assured Farm BRC/SALSA Approved Processor Assured final product Assured Transport Assured Abattoir/ Processor Assured final product Assured Catching Cattle, Sheep & Pigs Dairy Poultry; chicken and Turkey © AFS 2012

COMBINABLE CROPS AND SUGAR BEET FRESH PRODUCE Assured Farm Assured Third Party Transport Assured Third Party Storage Assured miller/maltster/ feed compounder Assured final product Assured Pack HouseAssured final product © AFS 2012

WHEN and WHY did Farm Assurance begin? The UK agricultural industry developed National Farm Assurance schemes during the early 90’s because: 1.Consumer confidence in UK produce was low after a number of high profile food scares 2.Retailers concern about the production standards of suppliers – The Food Safety Act was implemented in the 1990’s The primary objective of farm assurance schemes: – To protect the reputation of UK agriculture – Reduce the possibility of retailers developing their own schemes. © AFS 2012

 The following are examples of what prompted the development of assurance schemes for some of the commodities: 1988 ‘ ’91 ‘92 ’93 ‘94 ‘95 ‘96 ‘97 ‘98 ‘ Issue: Salmonella Egg Scare Edwina Currie announces Britain's egg production is infected with the salmonella bacteria Egg sales fall 60% almost overnight In response Lion Egg develop a Code of Practice Required compulsory salmonella vaccination for all Lion Quality laying hens Assured Chicken Production - ACP developed Poultry The chicken meat industry recognised the potential impact of such incidents and acted by developing its own assurance scheme © AFS 2012

‘90 ’91 ‘92 ‘93 ‘94 ‘95 ’96 ’97 ’98 ‘99 Issue: Link made between BSE and the human condition CJD In recognition of increasing consumer unease about meat safety, regional beef and lamb assurance schemes developed BEEF AND LAMB UK meat consumption fell by 1/5 (BBC News, 1998) Farmer membership to beef and lamb assurance schemes rapidly increased © AFS 2012

1988 ‘ ’91 ‘92 ’93 ‘94 ‘95 ‘96 ‘97 ‘98 ‘ Issue: The Great Apple Scare Alar residue was found on apples destined for human consumption Studies suggested that Alar was linked with an increase risk of developing cancer In response, the produce industry developed Assured Produce- AP Development of Assured Combinable Crops -ACCS The crops industry recognised the potential impact of such incidents and acted by developing its own assurance scheme FRESH PRODUCE © AFS 2012

 Other assurance schemes developed either in response to seeing food scares in other sectors and understanding the need to protect the reputation of their own sector or after seeing a ‘gap’ in the market: ’90 ‘91 ’92 ’93 ‘94 ’95 ’96 ‘97 ’98 ‘99 First Pigs Assurance scheme developed- FAB Pigs Development of the first dairy assurance scheme NDFAS RSPCA Freedom Food welfare standards first developed Linking Environment And Farming first established Members began to be certified to the Soil Association Organic standards 1973 © AFS 2012

HOW DOES FARM ASSURANCE WORK? Section 2: © AFS 2012

WHO are the organisations involved? 1.Assurance Schemes: – Set scheme standards – License the standards to Certification Bodies 2.Certification Bodies (CB’s): – Independent commercial companies licensed to offer certification to farm assurance schemes – They are the routine point of contact for members – They employ and train assessors to EU standard EN45011 to ensure consistent and professional conduct during farm assessments.  There are multiple Certification Bodies' (CB’s) that operate in the UK: © AFS 2012

HOW does farm assurance work?  There are 4 key stages: 1.Apply 2.Assessment 3.Certification 4.Renewal and Continuation © AFS 2012

1. Apply A.A farmer applies to a Certification Body (CB) and pays the membership fee – Different CB’s charge varying membership fees – In the dairy sector membership is usually arranged via the farmer’s milk purchaser © AFS 2012

2. Assessment B. An initial farm assessment will be undertaken: Before The Certification Body (CB) allocates an assessor who will contact and arrange with the farmer a mutually convenient time to visit During The assessment generally takes between 2- 3 hours but will vary from farm to farm The assessor will walk around all holdings that are to be assured and ask questions about the farm business – Livestock must be seen at the time of assessment The assessor then checks the relevant records in the office Some farmers do not meet all the requirements during an assessment, these are referred to as non-conformances - A list of non-conformances is left with the farmer at the end of the visit. © AFS 2012

3a. Certification After: A copy of the assessment report and the list of non-conformances is reviewed by the Certification Body (CB) – Serious non-conformances e.g. a serious welfare issue, will result in immediate suspension from the scheme – Any other non-conformances raised must be rectified and the farmer must provide the CB with evidence of the corrections e.g. photos, vet letter or sometimes a revisit A new member must meet all the standards before they can be considered assured. Time scale for corrections for Red Tractor Assurance Schemes: © AFS 2012

3b. Certification C.Once the Certification Body (CB) is satisfied all standards are met, members are issued with: – A Membership number – Certificate of Conformity – Stickers – only applicable for some schemes It is at this point a member can sell their products as farm assured D.New members details are uploaded onto a central database which is used by other farmers, markets and abattoirs to check assurance statuses © AFS 2012

4. Renewal and Continuation E.A members assurance certificate expires after 12 months of the initial inspection. To remain in the scheme, members must renew their membership on an annual basis F.After the initial assessment, members will receive a routine assessment: – Either annually or every 18 months depending on the scheme requirements – Certification Bodies may also perform spot checks at short notice © AFS 2012

WHAT do the standards cover? Farm assurance standards are written by the assurance scheme and based on legislation and good agricultural practice Predominantly standards target:  Food safety  Traceability  Animal health and welfare  Environmental protection Some standards have developed further to target issues and specific principles: E.g. Welfare – RSPCA Freedom Food Organic principles – Soil Association © AFS 2012

The following are examples of areas covered within the scope of the standards: Scope; Animal Health and Welfare:  Staff competency  Veterinary medicines  Biosecurity  Feed and water  Handling and treatment of animals  Housing  Livestock transport Environmental Protection  Pesticide records  Chemical storage safety  Waste disposal  Removal and disposal of fallen stock © AFS 2012

WHY WOULD A FARMER BECOME ASSURED? Section 3: © AFS 2012

WHY would a farmer become assured? Main Reason:  Customers demand assured products e.g. other farmers, processors, retailers  Assured farmers have greater marketing opportunities Being assured also delivers the following benefits : The assessment acts as an MOT for the farm business Assured farmers are considered lower risk by government bodies and in some cases are likely to have fewer government inspections In some sectors assured products receive preferential pricing © AFS 2012

Red Tractor Assurance © AFS 2012

WHO IS RED TRACTOR ASSURANCE? WHAT DOES THE RED TRACTOR LOGO MEAN? Section 4: © AFS 2012

WHO is Red Tractor Assurance? A small, not- for -profit organisation - Previously known as Assured Food Standards Operates across six commodity sectors and offers assurance across pre- farm and post farm sectors Largest farm assurance scheme operating in the UK – Over 59,000 Red Tractor members across all six sectors © AFS 2012

The Role of Red Tractor Assurance: 1.Set and manage standards which underpin the Red Tractor logo – Standards are developed with input from industry experts e.g. farmers, retailers, environmental/welfare experts 2.License the standards to Certification Bodies (CB’s) – SAI Global, NSF-CMi, PAI, SFQC, QWFC, NIFCC are the CB’s licensed to use the Red Tractor standards 3.Control the use of the Red Tractor logo – The Red Tractor logo is a licensed trade mark – businesses must have a license to use it and it can only be used on eligible products 4.Communicate the meaning of Red Tractor to consumers – Through initiatives like Red Tractor Week and working with retailers, brands and food services © AFS 2012

WHAT does the Red Tractor logo mean? Guarantees the product is British Products have met certain technical assurance standards Supports British farmers Livestock is born, reared and slaughtered in the UK Standards complied to throughout the supply chain – from farm to pack Members are independently audited Cereals and fresh produce are farmed in the UK © AFS 2012

Useful Links  For more information about the Red Tractor farm assurance schemes visit: –  For more general information visit: –  Other useful Links – – – – – – © AFS 2012