UK: Pig sector stresses the need to reduce inspections to farm assurance review
During a discussion on the review, pig producers from across the country acknowledged the importance of farm assurance, but highlighted their frustration at how the volume of inspections, particularly the retail audits, has got out of hand.
NPA chairman Rob Mutimer said: “I see real benefit to our business from Red Tractor and RSPCA Assured. However, when we were first assured, we were only inspected by Red Tractor, but now its Red Tractor, RSPCA Assured and two retailers.
"There are questions about whether we, as a sector, can continue like this. I believe we have seen as many independent pig farmers leave this industry because they can’t cope with bureaucracy as we have done due to financial issues.”
He suggested there was plenty of scope for Red Tractor and RSPCA Assured to work more closely together on common areas to ease the burden and called for better use of 'earned recognition'.
"On our butchery business, we are assured by the Food Standards Agency. We are graded and if you get a high score, you can reduce the number of audits and paperwork over the next year.
"If there is one audit a year, regardless of whether you are good, bad or indifferent, it can become a box-ticking exercise. But if you don’t want to see the auditor for two years, you make a big effort to make sure your systems are right – and that can drive better standards".
An indoor producer said: "The thing that really frustrates me is that we have Red Tractor and then we get inspected by three retailers. What is the point in all of them? Surely, there could some be more joined-up thinking where Red Tractor can cover more of that off".
"Of course, we need an assurance scheme to make sure we are following the standards correctly and doing the job right for the animals, but I just can’t get over that we are being inspected for the same thing so many times".
Another agreed that the principle of assurance was vital to help maintain standards. “I never look forward to them coming, but I really value their feedback and it does make you address a few things on your farm before they come. But the big aggravation for me is the supermarkets inspections at different times, often time without a pattern, and looking for other things. If there was a way around doing that, it would be beneficial, but how you could do it, I don’t know.”
A processor representative reiterated Rob’s point about greater use of earned recognition and said better use needed to be made of technology to streamline the inspection process and paperwork in the main assurance schemes, a point backed up by producers across the group.
Lizzie fed all of this into her meeting with the commissioners. "I highlighted the strong desire from within the pig sector to streamline the number of inspections because of the huge burden this places on farms and the need to make the audits more efficient, so they focus more on the animals rather than the paperwork", she said.
She pointed out that initial discussions have taken place between Red Tractor and RSPCA Assured about working together more closely on common areas to reduce the audit burden.
"I also stressed PIG’s point about the need to make more use of earned recognition. I gave EPR permitting inspections as a good example within our sector - if your business is compliant with permitting requirements, the audit can be delivered by Red Tractor as part of their annual inspection instead of two separate inspections", she said.
"And we need a consistent standard of audit with trained specialist pig auditors. There are a number of good assessors, but the number of visits they can make is constrained by biosecurity requirements on farms".
Lizzie also pointed that, particularly in light of recent events, assurance should be independent and not tied to larger organisations with potentially conflicting agendas.
"The core purpose of farm assurance schemes must be to provide assurance, which will engender trust – to consumers, the supply chain, and farmers - say what you do, do what you say and prove it. Trust is fundamental.
"It’s tempting to keep introducing standards as 95% pigs produced are assured by Red Tractor, it becomes de facto mandatory, but it’s not always appropriate and the scheme becomes unwieldy".
"But I also emphasised the overall importance of assurance, for example, to exports. All exports to China are based on the quarterly Red Tractor vet review, which demonstrates complete traceability and food safety guarantee. If this wasn’t the case, farmers would have to pay a vet separately to attest certain criteria".
Pastoral support is also important when it comes to dealing with alleged non-compliance. "While it is, of course, essential to do everything possible to maintain the credibility of the scheme, there can be a culture of guilty until proved innocent", Lizzie added.
The farm assurance review was established in the wake of Red Tractor’s attempts to introduce a Greener Farms Commitment (GFC), with a remit to look at the suitability of assurance schemes of all types across the UK in the post-Brexit world.
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