North Yorkshire pig farmer heralds new Red Tractor welfare projects
A renowned North Yorkshire pig farmer has heralded Red Tractor launching two new outdoor pig welfare modules to strengthen its position in a market where both welfare credibility and audit demands are under increasing scrutiny.
Stewart Houston, chair of the Red Tractor Pigs Sector and a leading figure for many years at The National Pig Association, said the assurance scheme’s new Enhanced Welfare Outdoor Bred and Free Range options, introduced earlier this month, “recognise greater freedom and comfort for the animals”.
The move aims to give producers a clearer way to demonstrate higher-welfare systems and a more consistent welfare message.
Mr Houston said: “These new standards will demonstrate welfare inputs that are a step above our already high core range.
"The new logos will provide consumers with greater choice on the shelf, while the standards sitting behind them provide outdoor producers a way of reducing their on-farm audits while maintaining access to existing markets.”
Developed by industry and subject to extensive consultation over the last 18 months, the new modules build on the success of Red Tractor’s additional welfare modules in the poultry sector.
The modules have been benchmarked against existing market standards to ensure they reflect meaningful, recognised welfare standards while fitting within the practical realities of commercial pig production.
The changes are designed to benefit the whole supply chain.
For producers, the modules specify standards for outdoor systems within the Red Tractor Pigs Scheme – giving outdoor pig producers a straightforward, trusted way to show the welfare enhancements they deliver.
For food businesses who are Red Tractor licensees, the modular approach offers a cost-effective option to demonstrate higher welfare on pack, menus, websites, paperwork and marketing materials.
This is particularly timely as many businesses begin to plan packaging updates in the coming months.
For retailers, the new logos will help shoppers make quicker, more confident choices at point of purchase by providing a consistent, recognisable and trusted welfare message across pork and poultry.
Reducing audit duplication has been a central aim of this work.
The new modules and on-pack logos are intended to streamline assurance activity for producers who currently participate in multiple schemes – a recommendation central to the Farm Assurance Review – and to improve efficiency throughout the supply chain.
Mr Houston added: “Producers have been clear that they want fair recognition for the additional time, investment and care that goes into higher-welfare systems.
“These now modules and logos do exactly that – they give farmers a practical, trusted route to demonstrate better welfare while helping retailers and consumers to recognise those commitments easily.
"We developed the standards with wide industry input and by benchmarking against established schemes, so producers, licensees, customers and consumers can have confidence in what these logos represent.”