UK
Red Tractor consults on future assurance standards
Assured Food Standards has launched a consultation over the future shape of its Red Tractor farm assurance standards across the scheme’s six sectors - beef and lamb; combinable crops and sugar beet; dairy; fresh produce; pigs; and poultry. The proposed changes have...
Chair for new UK environmental body
Dame Glenys Stacey is the preferred candidate to chair the new independent Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), says Defra secretary of state George Eustice. The appointment is subject to confirmation by the EFRA and Environmental Audit select committees. The...
Defra launches post-EU consultation on gene-editing
Defra minister George Eustice used his virtual Oxford Farming Conference slot this week to launch a consultation into gene editing technologies for livestock and crop species in England, a move welcomed by industry bodies. But it was clear from the conference platform...
AIC Scotland elects Robin Barron as chair
Robin Barron, general manager of East of Scotland Farmers (EOSF), has been elected as chairman of the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) Scotland. He succeeds Stephen Kenyon of Harbro, who has held the chairman’s role since April 2017. Mr Barron has been vice...
Agrifood auditing and training within a pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic and its associated restrictions has rapidly changed the way that industry assurance schemes are verified, with greater use of digital tools. As the recent vaccine breakthrough signals an end to the pandemic, future auditing regimes are likely to...
Europe’s agrifood chain calls for EU:UK trade clarity
A coalition of European agrifood chain trade bodies has called on EU-UK trade negotiators to strike a comprehensive tariff and quota-free trade agreement with close harmonisation of rules, including on sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical barriers to...