Farm standards review – Beef & Lamb

This work involves the publication of a series of four independently reviewed reports to compare beef and lamb production standards at both a regulatory and a voluntary level.

The reports will support wider industry assessments of the current farm assurance landscape and compare production standards in England with those around the world.

We will be comparing standards in England with those in:

• Australia and New Zealand (April 2024)
• Key EU countries (July 2024)
• North America (September 2024)
• South America – Brazil (November 2024)

Key EU countries

Voluntary assurance schemes are available in all six of the countries selected for analysis. The dominant scheme in each nation was chosen for this study:

• Red Tractor Beef and Lamb Standards (England)
• Quality System (Germany)
• Quality Meat Poland
• Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (Ireland)
• Label Rouge (France)
• Beter Leven (Netherlands)

Key findings

• Red Tractor Beef and Lamb Standards achieves a higher average score than the other schemes examined in this study, although other schemes score higher than Red Tractor in five of the 14 categories in which assessments were carried out
• Beter Leven achieves a higher score in husbandry procedures and youngstock management, and matches Red Tractor’s score for animal health and welfare
• Quality System is the highest-scoring scheme in livestock transport, food safety and traceability
• There are areas of potential improvement for every scheme in each category

Australia and New Zealand

The review compares different assurance standards within two key markets for English beef and lamb.

The dominant farm assurance scheme in each nation was chosen for this study:

• Red Tractor Beef and Lamb Standards (England)
• Livestock Production Assurance (Australia)
• New Zealand Farm Assurance Programme

The report also includes a high-level outline of the legislative framework in each country in which the assurance schemes operate.

Key findings

• Although Red Tractor Beef and Lamb Standards scored higher than both Livestock Production Assurance and New Zealand Farm Assurance Programme, there are areas of potential improvement for every scheme in each category
• Legislation was found that could be applied to almost all of the categories, providing a good legislative base for the standards
• All of the schemes provide some degree of customer reassurance, but this varies strongly according to the scheme and the specific category of study

How has this report been delivered?  

This report has been delivered by Birnie Consultancy*, focusing on both the underpinning legislation and key voluntary assurance standards within each country of focus.

The report was independently reviewed by four experts: 

• Jude Capper – Livestock Sustainability Consultant 
• Nigel Scollan – Queens University, Institute of Global Food Security 
• Mandy Lucas – Farm Animal Welfare Consultant 
• Jonathan Statham – Veterinary Surgeon and Livestock Sustainability Consultant 

The report provides a robust, stringent and ardently independent summary of the current landscape.  

*Birnie Consultancy is a solutions-driven consultancy working with primary and secondary food processors, farmers, supermarkets, levy bodies, research institutions and governments across the UK and Europe.

If you have questions or wish to discuss this review of farm standards, get in touch via: James.Taylor2@ahdb.org.uk