Red Tractor sets out priorities to deliver improvements across farming sectors

Chairman of Red Tractor, Alistair Mackintosh, explained that by setting out these priorities, the organisation gives stakeholders, including farmers and growers, a clear view of the direction of travel in each farming sector and provides an early opportunity for feedback. 

The priorities have been developed and agreed collaboratively by representatives sitting on Red Tractor’s sector boards and include a review of farming standards in 2026.  They sit alongside wider improvements already in progress, including the Red Tractor portal, communications and assessor training.  

All stakeholders are invited to share feedback by 1st February 2026 via the Red Tractor website.  

Mr Mackintosh added: “The collective focus of the review is to support reduction of unnecessary audit burden, delivering efficiency while maintaining rigour and ensuring that every audit point helps farmers to demonstrate due diligence or meet their customers’ expectations.”  

Red Tractor explained that the priorities have been developed through its established governance structure. The Red Tractor board sets the organisation’s strategic direction, while each farming sector is represented by its own sector board made up of farmers, growers, vets, processors, retailers and supply-chain experts. 

Each sector board will continue to oversee the review process, using their collective knowledge to consider the specific needs and pressures facing their sector.  

Mr Mackintosh said that the next phase of work moves to the Technical Advisory Committees (TACs), which bring together experts from across each sector to develop detailed recommendations designed to deliver the priorities and objectives.   

“The TACs role is to explore options, test practicality and develop proposals that reflect both the objectives set by the Sector Boards and the realities of on-farm delivery. 

“Farmers and growers have asked for greater transparency and clearer opportunities to have their say, and this is what we aim to achieve. Feedback at this early stage will help shape the work that follows,” he concluded. 

Audit simplification

Philippa Wiltshire, director of operations at Red Tractor, added that one of the priorities is to simplify the unnecessary audit burden. 

She explained: “There are clearly standards and audit points that are a really key part of what’s involved in an assessment, which is why what we’ve announced today, and the review of the standards are really important elements. 

“So when the technical advisory committees are discussing every single standard and every single audit point, they will be asking those questions as well around, firstly, is this really an important standard, and if so, why? We want to be able to be very transparent with farmers. If a standard is a standard, then why? What’s the justification for that?”  

Further opportunities to comment on draft standards will take place during 2026, before final, UKAS-accredited standards are published and implemented in 2027. 

To learn about the priorities for each sector and to share feedback, visit the Red Tractor website.

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