The Little Red Tractor' label scheme needs an overhaul24 October 2001
Friends of the Earth is calling for a fundamental review of the Assured Food Standards 'Little Red Tractor' labelling symbol to ensure it lives up to its claims and provides genuine help to farmers and clear benefits for consumers.
The National Farmers Union claims that foods with the red tractor logo are produced "to exacting standards of food safety, kindness to animals and environmental protection" but Friends of the Earth believes the current standards are not as exacting as consumers are led to believe, particularly on pesticides, GM and animal welfare. [1].
In letters to Sir John Krebs (Food Standards Agency) and Alan Knight (chair of the Advisory Committee on Consumer products and Environment), Friends of the Earth wants the 'Little Red Tractor' scheme to be strengthened to include:
- targets for pesticide reduction and a prohibition of those pesticides with the strongest evidence of harm to human health and/or the environment
- food which is GM free
- food to be British and labelled to show the county or region of origin
- livestock that is raised to standards at least equivalent to the RSPCA Freedom Foods mark
The ACCPE discussed the scheme in December 2000 and said: "It was not clear that the schemes involved merited the claims being made... They appeared to incorporate only minimum legal requirements on the environment. Claims of this kind could be counterproductive ... It would be in the schemes' interests for improvements to be made, to help them gain the confidence of consumers.
The existence of product labels like the Red Tractor could undermine the sort of schemes ACCPE would like to see."
Sandra Bell Real Food and Farming Campaigner for Friends of the Earth commented: "We support branding schemes which help farmers and consumers but it is vital that the scheme sets truly high standards. Otherwise, the 'Little Red Tractor' scheme is about as much use to farmers and consumers as a chocolate fire guard."
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