BFREPA calls on assurance schemes to implement the recommendations of the Farm Assurance Report

Published on : 21 Jan 2025

The Farm Assurance Review, produced by Promar and announced in early 2024, commissioned by the NFU and AHDB, called for a fundamental reset of the farm assurance system to rebuild confidence amongst farmers. This review aimed to assess how well these schemes are working for farmers and supply chains and determine their suitability for a modern farming environment.

The review was undertaken by four independent commissioners supported by Promar International:
Dr David Llewellyn CBE (lead commissioner) – former Harper Adams University Vice-Chancellor.
James Withers – former Chief Executive Officer of Scotland Food and Drink.
Mark Suthern – Chairman of Trustees of the FCN (Farming Community Network).
Katrina Williams - former Director General of Food & Farming at Defra, before leading all of Defra's international work.

The report, published on January 20th, was based on over 3,600 survey responses, 162 written submissions, analysis of social media posts, and attendance at 13 shows and events throughout the country.

The review covered the poultry sector as a whole, but many in the industry were disappointed that it did not consider splitting poultry meat and eggs separately, given that the assurance schemes are different. 

The review makes nine strategic recommendations as well as an additional 56 practical, actionable recommendations: 

1. On-farm audits must be reduced, simplified and delivered more consistently; 
2. There must be a transformational step forward in embracing technology; 
3. Schemes need to reset and/or restate their structures to establish farmers as the driving voice in standards development; 
4. A new industry-led initiative must set out the future environmental ambitions for farm assurance; 
5. The inclusion of regulatory requirements within farm assurance should be conditional on the government agreeing on a form of 'earned recognition'; 
6. There must be greater collaboration between farm assurance schemes across the UK; 
7. Schemes must better position the UK farming industry in world food markets and in competition with imported food; 
8. All schemes must review and improve their communication with farmers 
9. The Red Tractor scheme must complete the implementation of recommendations in the Campbell Tickell report on its governance.

Commenting on the report, Lead Commissioner Dr David Llewellyn, said:

"This is the first fundamental look at UK farm assurance since it was established in the 1990s. So much has changed over the last 30 years, and we know that further change is on the horizon for the farming industry. Farm assurance must be a critical part of that future. However, for that to happen, significant changes are needed to win back farmer confidence where it has been lost."

Further, many farmers "feel they live in a permanent state of jeopardy with 'make or break' audits determining whether their businesses can operate or not. The reality is that too many farmers feel farm assurance is 'done to them' rather than 'delivered with them'. It should be better than this".

This 'make or break' feeling around audits was reinforced by data from the poultry sectors showing 60% of poultry farmers found the emotional impact of an audit "Stressful"  and/or "Unbearable" albeit this was the second lowest figure after pigs (59%) and below the figure for the dairy sector (76%). 

The report comments that when standards are changed, the farm assurance scheme should be able to explain why the standard has been adopted, what the impact on farmers will be, for example, by carrying out an impact assessment, and how it should be communicated to the farming sector. 

Dr David Llewellyn continued that "improvements are required for all assurance schemes' and that 'many of our recommendations will be challenging." He said, "They are about changes to organisational cultures and expectations, as much as they are about processes."

Gary Ford, Head of Strategy and Producer Engagement at BFREPA, told the Ranger: 

"BFREPA welcomes the report's findings and the key recommendations around establishing farmers as the driving voice in standards development, particularly around cost-benefit analysis, to make on-farm audits simpler as well as delivered more consistently and to improve communication with farmers.

"It is critically important that farmers are at the heart of all assurance schemes and are actively involved in developing scheme standards - farmers must be seen as part of the Scheme and not separate from it. Too often, farmers feel that farm assurance standards are 'done to them' whereas they should feel that farm assurance is 'delivered with them'. Engagement makes for a more robust set of standards that farmers buy into. Unfortunately, this has not always been the case, and the recent issues regarding the RSPCA have highlighted the problems that arise if farmers are not consulted. These recommendations must be implemented in full to benefit the assurance scheme, farmers and the wider egg sector.

"It is interesting - and welcome - that the report has highlighted farmer anxiety around on-farm audits. The findings of the report chime with the feedback that I have received from many members regarding the great anxiety and intense stress caused by the process, where, at times, farmers have felt persecuted. While auditors have an important role and must act within the constraints imposed on them, this cannot be right, and this area needs a real focus and priority from the assurance schemes. The challenge for the auditing body is finding a better way to deliver on-farm audits.  Greater collaboration between farm assurance schemes and their respective auditors would be welcome, as well as greater use of technology, all of which would reduce some of the unnecessary duplication and bureaucracy that is, too often, unfortunately, a dominant feature of farm audits. Audits should be seen as adding value and reassurance as well as identifying where a farm needs to improve. Such an approach would benefit all parties.

"BFREPA recognise the positives that farm assurance has delivered for the sector and is very supportive of the Lion Code of Practice as it is critical to the industry's future, delivering necessary assurances on food safety, quality and traceability to consumers. In addition, it has added value and delivered wider benefits for UK producers.

"We also believe that the RSPCA has a role in a higher welfare sector such as free range. However, it is critically important for the future of the relationship with the RSPCA that the lessons identified by the report and recent experiences are taken on board and implemented, starting with meaningful and proper farmer engagement in developing standards.

"We look forward to continuing our work with the BEIC and the RSPCA over the coming months to deliver the changes recommended in the report. It can all be achieved with the right approach and positive attitude."

The Ranger also asked for an opinion on the report from the BEIC. Mark Williams said "While the intentions of the report are commendable, we're disappointed at the one-size-fits-all approach and believe it would have been constructive to have considered the merits of each Scheme in its own right.
 
"The British Lion Code of Practice, unsubsidised by Government funding, is the UK's most successful food safety scheme, effectively eliminating the presence of Salmonella in British eggs, and farmers should be immensely proud of the work they have done to restore consumer and retailer trust in the safety of British eggs, resulting in significantly increased consumption. That trust in British Lion eggs means there are no imported eggs on British supermarket shelves, helping to provide a strong market for British producers. 
 
"Consultation across the egg supply chain is very much at the heart of the British Lion scheme and the role of the BEIC. The British Lion Code of Practice is a live code, and we're continually reviewing the content to ensure it incorporates industry needs, the latest veterinary and scientific advice and technology, and consumer expectations while seeking to balance any enhancements with the economic challenges the sector faces. While it will always be primarily a food safety Code, it now includes greater emphasis on areas such as hen welfare and the environment to reflect the changing demands of the market and will continue to do so to ensure British Lion eggs are the first choice for consumers."

Many members feel that the accreditation schemes exclude members' views, do not adequately engage with the production base, or do not take producers' concerns into account. The Ranger reported this to RSPCA Assured, which released a statement in which the spokesperson said:

"We very much welcome this review and are pleased to see the report's conclusion that farm assurance schemes are critical to the future of the industry. 

"Assurance schemes have a vital role to play in raising animal welfare, food safety and environmental standards, both now and in the future - and giving consumers confidence in the food they are buying. 

"For example, a report published last year by the Social Market Foundation revealed that just 3% of farms receive welfare inspections by local government or the Animal Plant and Health Agency (APHA), the regulatory body. 

"This means that on the vast majority of farms, no one is monitoring farmed animal welfare nor checking that legal requirements are being followed - and assurance schemes help fill this gap.

"RSPCA Assured has an essential role to play as the only assurance scheme focused solely on animal welfare, and the RSPCA's development of the welfare standards - adhered to by RSPCA Assured members - ensures we are continually driving up farmed animal welfare.

"We acknowledge farmers' concerns and have already launched an ambitious modernisation of RSPCA Assured. 

"The success of any assurance scheme depends on collaboration with farmers and the wider industry, and we are committed to working closely with our members to streamline our processes and make better use of technology. 

"We have also introduced a new farming and technical engagement team which shares technical expertise and practical farm experience to support farmers and help them meet the RSPCA welfare standards.

"We will review the report and its recommendations in detail and see if there are any other measures we can introduce so that, together with our members, we can improve the lives of many more millions of farmed animals."

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FARM ASSURANCE REVIEW BY PROMAR