Farmers Guardian – 4th July 2024

After stepping down from her role as chair as Red Tractor, as the new interim chair Alistair Mackintosh begins his role, Christine Tacon reflects on her time at the top – the highs and the lows. 

I stepped down from my role as chair of Red Tractor at the end of June, and it is a good time to reflect on nearly four years in post.

I applied for the job because I wanted to stay close to the farming industry. I’m fortunate to have broad experience, including running the Co-op’s farming business and regulating retailers as the Groceries Code Adjudicator. I saw Red Tractor as a very good ‘pulling together’ of my skills.

Looking back, highlights included farmer meetings and experiencing on-farm audits first-hand. I also very much enjoyed working with the board. They’re a supportive group – some from farming, others bringing science, consumer or supply chain expertise. I feel, however, I have left a job half-finished.

There are achievements I’m very proud of – for example, our focus on simplifying audits.

My objective from the start was to remove two standards for every new one introduced. While achieving that will be a stretch, I’m pleased that streamlining audit efficiency is an ongoing and pressing priority.

I am also extremely proud of Red Tractor’s uniqueness. Not only is it an assurance scheme, but you only find it on British food. Almost every other competitive scheme can be used on imported food. I am concerned that if Red Tractor does not keep up to date, retailers, processors and food service will use alternative schemes and we will lose that British identity on pack.

It is the Red Tractor team’s job to listen to market demands and look at international competition, as well as developments in the market. Raising standards might not be popular, but is indicative of where the market is going – and where producers must get to eventually, though I accept the speed with which we addressed this was too fast.

So whether it’s food safety, treatment of employees, animal welfare or managing the environment, the supply chain needs assurance. Red Tractor has always had these in its remit and if it doesn’t audit, others – possibly many others – will. There is still too much duplication that needs eliminating. I want to thank the producers who have been hugely supportive of Red Tractor and see the need for it. I am also grateful for those on our boards; people, many in unpaid positions, who have had to do way more over the past 12 difficult months than we led them to expect.

I also wish everybody in Red Tractor the best – it’s a small team and they have been so resilient and committed despite what has been a very negative atmosphere around us. I particularly want to thank  Jim Moseley for his strength in managing the team through a very difficult year. We’ve faced some major staffing setbacks including the death of one team member, who we will not forget for his dedication and his character. These personal tragedies have placed business issues and industry politics in a very sharp perspective.

I hope the current independent review will explain the relevance of assurance and guide Red Tractor on what it must do better. Armed with these findings, I believe widespread producer trust in Red Tractor can be achieved again. I wish Alistair Mackintosh, the interim chair, all the best over the next few months and look forward to news of the appointment of a permanent chair to carry forward the work longer term.

Emily Ashworth