Farm Assurance© AFS 2012

Farm AssuranceSection 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:

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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:

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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

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COMBINABLE CROPS AND SUGAR BEET

FRESH PRODUCEAssured Farm

Assured Third Party Transport

Assured Third Party Storage

Assured miller/maltster/

feed compounder

Assured final product

Assured Pack House Assured final product

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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.

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The following are examples of what prompted the development of assurance schemes for some of the commodities:

1988 ‘89 1990 ’91 ‘92 ’93 ‘94 ‘95 ‘96 ‘97 ‘98 ‘99 2000

Issue: Salmonella Egg Scare

• Edwina Currie announces Britain's egg production is infected with the salmonella bacteria• Egg sales fall 60% almost

overnight

In responseLion 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

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1988 ‘89 1990 ’91 ‘92 ’93 ‘94 ‘95 ‘96 ‘97 ‘98 ‘99 2000

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

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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

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HOW DOES FARM ASSURANCE WORK?

Section 2:

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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:

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HOW does farm assurance work?There are 4 key stages:

1.Apply2.Assessment3.Certification4.Renewal and Continuation

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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

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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. CertificationAfter:• 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:

Type of member Time Scale

New Member 3 months

Existing Member 28 days© AFS 2012

3b. CertificationC. 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

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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

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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 safetyTraceabilityAnimal 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

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WHY WOULD A FARMER BECOME ASSURED?

Section 3:

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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

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Red Tractor Assurance© AFS 2012

WHO IS RED TRACTOR ASSURANCE?WHAT DOES THE RED TRACTOR LOGO MEAN?

Section 4:

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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

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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 experts2. 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 standards3. 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 products4. Communicate the meaning of Red Tractor to consumers– Through initiatives like Red Tractor Week and working with retailers,

brands and food services

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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

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Useful Links For more information about the Red Tractor farm assurance schemes visit:

– www.redtractorassurance.org.uk For more general information visit:

– www.redtractor.org.uk

Other useful Links – www.soilassociation.org – www.rspca.org.uk/freedomfood – www.leafuk.org – www.qmscotland.co.uk – www.fawl.co.uk – www.nifcc.co.uk

© AFS 2012

© AFS 2012