Cabbage king signs consumers to Red Tractor Food

Hundreds of farmers and growers across the South East are joining forces to encourage consumers to buy more home produced 'Red Tractor' food.

Backing the awareness campaign is assured vegetable grower Toby Williams, of Stanhill Farm, near Dartford, in Kent, who grows beans, courgettes and cabbages. Food from his farm ultimately bears the Red Tractor logo when it reaches supermarket shelves, which is why Toby is among those putting up signs to tell people they are passing through his 'Red Tractor' farm.

Toby Williams, chairman of the NFU's Dartford branch, said: "Our farm is well-used by walkers, cyclists and riders so now, thanks to the signs, we can tell people more about what we do. The red tractor logo appears on food in all major supermarkets – products bearing this logo are produced, processed and packed in the UK. As farmers, we're proud of the standards we meet, we are independently inspected and we want people to recognise the red tractor logo as a sign of food they can trust. I hope consumers will value the logo when they make purchasing decisions in the supermarket."

This awareness-raising campaign, which has been devised by NFU South East and Assured Food Standards, aims to highlight the production standards behind the logo which cover everything from traceability to food safety, animal welfare and plant health. The discreet, A4 weatherproof signs are being erected along well-used paths and byways where countryside users will see them. The initiative aims to reconnect consumers with the origins of their food and it has the support of Defra/GOSE.