Unions warn urgent action needed after final farm assurance report

Farming unions have warned that farm assurance reforms must move faster, saying farmers and growers still face excessive audit pressure and uncertainty over how standards are set.

The NFU, NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland and the Ulster Farmers’ Union issued the warning in response to the final Farm Assurance Review progress report.

The unions said the report showed progress had been made, but that key areas still needed urgent action if farmers and growers were to have a stronger voice in assurance standards.

They said: “Although good progress has been made, several areas highlighted within the report still require urgent action.”

The review was launched after mounting farmer frustration over how assurance schemes were delivered on farm, including concerns about audit duplication, cost, consistency and the extent to which producers influence standards.

The original UK-wide review, published in January 2025, called for a “fundamental reset” of farm assurance to rebuild farmer confidence.

It found that assurance schemes continued to provide important guarantees on food quality for consumers, but said major changes were needed to address farmer concerns.

The final monitoring report assessed progress against 56 operational recommendations from the UK Farm Assurance Review.

Evidence was gathered from 33 organisations, including assurance schemes, government departments, regulators and food chain bodies.

The post-review monitoring exercise was commissioned by the four UK farming unions and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.

It was carried out independently by monitoring and reporting commissioner Dr David Llewellyn.

Two areas remain particularly contentious: how environmental data is measured and reported, and how assurance operates for combinable crop growers.

On environmental reporting, the unions said an industry-led approach was needed, with any system having “a clear purpose”, providing genuine value and involving farmers and growers from the start.

They also warned that assurance in the combinable crops sector required urgent structural change.

The unions called for an end to the “one-size-fits-all approach” and action to reduce what they described as an unsustainable audit burden on growers.

They also urged government to recognise the value of farm assurance in supporting high-quality British food.

The unions said farmers and growers must not be unfairly forced to compete with imported products that would be illegal to produce in the UK.

They also called for a fairer and more transparent marketplace.

The latest report said the review had acted as a catalyst for change across the farm assurance system.

However, it found that schemes were still at different stages in adopting the recommendations.

Dr Llewellyn said the fact that 33 organisations contributed to the second monitoring report showed there was still commitment to changing how farm assurance works.

He said it also showed a desire to reaffirm the farming community as “a key element of the farm assurance system”.

Some schemes, including those in the devolved nations and Red Tractor’s action plan, were credited with making progress.

Regulators were also said to have taken parts of the review on board.

However, Dr Llewellyn said there remained “room for improvement” in how UK governments viewed the role of farm assurance.

He said dialogue between assurance schemes and governments in the devolved nations was taking place, but the picture with Defra was less clear.

An earlier promise of greater coordination between UK governments, to reduce duplication and reflect assurance systems in policymaking, had “yet to see the light of day”, the report said.

The monitoring report also pointed to slower progress in addressing crop sector concerns and environmental measures.

It said further work on both areas was expected during 2026, in consultation with the farming industry.

The report warned that delays in making changes were likely to frustrate farmers who wanted improvements to how assurance works on farm.

However, it acknowledged that some reforms would take longer where wider consultation, research or accreditation processes were needed.

The report also warned that assurance schemes could not avoid responsibility by pointing to certification bodies.

It said schemes appoint those bodies to carry out audits on their behalf and remain responsible for how they operate.

The unions said they would continue to work with industry and the wider supply chain to deliver the changes farmers want to see.

They said the review marked a “vital reset moment” to build a modern assurance framework that is fit for purpose.

The four unions added that assurance still had an important role in underpinning the safety, traceability and quality of food produced on British farms, but said reform must now deliver practical change for farmers and growers.