News Certification
British farmer furious over quality label abuse
The Red Tractor Label has been on many British foodstuffs for twenty years. A quality mark that aims to convince consumers that the product has been produced in the United Kingdom, and that against the strictest requirements. An increasing group of farmers is dissatisfied with the mandatory certificate. The costs are high and they say that grain is tampered with.
Meat, dairy, bread and more. There is a good chance that you will see a red trigger on the packaging of those products in British supermarkets. This has been the case for more than twenty years. According to the organization, more than three quarters of consumers recognize the logo. This stands for produced in our own country, and that against strict requirements when it comes to cultivation methods and animal welfare requirements.
High cost
British farmers are far from satisfied with the certificate, which they are obliged to participate in. This is demanded by customers who sell the products in their own country. For starters, there is the relatively high cost of meeting all the requirements. The certificate is somewhat comparable to Global Gap or VVAK and mainly revolves around documenting all actions at the company. 'Red tape', as the British call it. In addition, a payment is made for every tonne of grain or liter of milk.
It is mainly the arable farmers who complain about Red Tractor. They cannot sell their baking and milling wheat in their own country, because customers demand the certificate. This partly happens for feed wheat. Where the problem lies is the fact that this certified wheat can then be mixed with imported wheat from Russia or Canada. The whole point about the manufacturing standards is so overboard. Twenty years ago, 'Red Tractor' was sold to farmers as an added value that resulted in a higher selling price. In practice, the grain price is controlled by the world market and there is no added value, while it does generate work and costs.
Imported feed
The same happens in livestock farming. Feed components in the rations of beef cattle and pigs are partly of foreign origin, while the meat does carry the Red Tractor label. That is not justifiable according to the producers.
Proponents believe that there is indeed added value. It shows the consumer that the highest production standards are being worked hard. They say that imported grain is also mixed in. The United Kingdom is 85% self-sufficient in baking and milling wheat. The certification body itself is of the opinion that the administrative burden is actually reduced. These are performed centrally by Red Tractor and not by various individual government agencies.
Criticism
The Red Tractor organization says it is looking critically at the label, but does not see where the mistakes are made. Meanwhile, a growing group of farmers is, to say the least, quite grumpy. There is a lot of discussion on social media about the issues at stake. For the time being, this has hardly or no effect on the certificate.
Agriculture Ministry AHDB also questions the 'double standards' that Red Tractor may use. AHDB annually contributes financially to the organization but now has that payment discontinued. It concerns £250.000, converted €295.000. First, it wants clarity about how the money is spent. Opponents of the certificate see this as an expression of support for their doubts.
Niels van der Boom
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