Ruling on Red Tractor advert described as 'unjust'
A recent Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) decision to uphold a complaint against an old Red Tractor advert has been branded as "misguided and unjust" by Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart.
The advert highlighted the farm to supermarket journey of Red Tractor assured produce.
It came came under fire from the River Action UK group which accused Red Tractor of exaggerating the benefits of the scheme and misleading the public about its environmental standards.
Red Tractor explained that its assured quality standards applied primarily to farming standards, animal welfare and food traceability.
It added that it did not consider the average consumer would understand that any of the claims made in the advert were references to the environment.
However the ASA decided that the advert should not appear again in its current form and that it breached legislation in respect of misleading advertising, exaggeration or substantiation.
DUP Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs spokesperson Carla Lockhart has now said: “The ASA has been deliberating over this complaint for more than two years, which is an indication that its grounds weren’t clear-cut.
“In fact, during the prolonged investigation the watchdog changed course from not upholding to upholding the complaint.
"The recent ruling is flawed and misinterprets the intent and the content of the advertisement, broadcast between 2021 and 2023.
“The advertising campaign in question highlighted the core values of the Red Tractor quality assurance scheme - traceability, food safety and animal welfare – it wasn’t making claims about environmental performance."
The MP claims that the ASA appears to have "conflated these issues, leading to an inaccurate and unjust" conclusion.
Red Tractor ruling
“This ruling is deeply disappointing and risks undermining public confidence in one of the UK’s most trusted and recognised food assurance schemes," Lockhart continued.
“Red Tractor is a cornerstone of British agriculture, and the presence of its logo gives consumers confidence in the safety and standards of the food they buy.
"Over 42,000 Red Tractor assured farms in the UK are audited every 12 to 18 months. They must comply with the scheme’s strict standards in order to retain accreditation.”
Lockhart also expressed concern about the broader implications of the ASA’s decision on the UK’s farming sector, warning that regulatory bodies must act on the basis of clear evidence and sound reasoning.
“Our farmers are already operating under immense pressure. They uphold some of the highest production standards in the world, and their efforts should be recognised and supported, not unfairly called into question by flawed interpretations," she said.
“It is essential that regulatory bodies such as the ASA act in a balanced and proportionate manner, particularly when rulings have the potential to damage reputations and consumer confidence.”
The MP welcomed Red Tractor’s commitment to transparency and its clarification of the data underpinning the ASA complaint.
“Environmental requirements form a minor part of Red Tractor’s remit, but the voluntary regulation scheme isn’t responsible for enforcing environmental legislation," she added.
"Compliance with environmental regulation is the responsibility of the Environment Agency, which operates under a separate entity to Red Tractor.
"As the regulator, the Environment Agency has a duty to ensure the law is being adhered to, and this should not be confused with farm compliance standards required by Red Tractor."
The MP explained that farmers are already facing enormous challenges from rising costs to increasing regulatory burdens adding that it is vital that public institutions do not add to that pressure through "ill-informed judgments".
