Red Tractor has opened a six-week consultation, running from 22 September to 3 November, on changes to its Beef & Lamb and Dairy assurance standards, following a review by technical advisory committees of farmers, vets, processors and retailers.

Across both schemes, the proposals would reduce prescriptive requirements and introduce farm-specific livestock health planning, with an annual review of each farm's health priorities and an agreed action plan. Red Tractor says requirements would fall by about a third for Beef & Lamb and a quarter for Dairy through consolidation and removal of unnecessary detail, and the two standards would be aligned to cut duplication for farms in both schemes.

A few new requirements are proposed for Beef & Lamb on welfare and resilience, including extreme weather, feed safety, disease planning, nutrient management and housing; Dairy would gain a code of conduct on animal care and handling and recommendations on cow comfort, enrichment and foot-trimming competence.

"No two farms are the same, so it's important we hear from a range of farm businesses," said John Dracup, chair of the Beef & Lamb Sector Board. Dairy board chair Tim Lock said that in most cases what is expected of farmers stays the same but compliance should become easier to demonstrate. The assessment process is being reviewed separately.

Photo: Martin Dawes / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Source: The Scottish Farmer