The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled that a 2023 television advert for the Red Tractor farm assurance scheme misled the public about its environmental standards. The watchdog upheld a complaint from the campaign group River Action, which argued that the scheme's claims were exaggerated.
The advert, which featured the slogan “farmed with care” and “all our standards are met”, was used by major supermarkets including Tesco, Asda and Morrisons. However, the ASA found that the environmental standards referenced in the advert were not sufficiently clear, and that the ad must not be shown again in its current form.
River Action highlighted that 62% of the most critical pollution incidents on farms between 2014 and 2019 occurred on Red Tractor-certified farms, according to an Environment Agency report. Charles Watson, chair of River Action, said: “Red Tractor farms are polluting the UK’s rivers, and consumers trying to make environmentally responsible choices have been misled.”
Red Tractor responded by saying the ASA’s decision was “fundamentally flawed”. Chief executive Jim Moseley argued that the advert made no explicit environmental claim and that the watchdog had misinterpreted its content. He noted that the ASA had allowed the continued use of “farmed with care” provided more information is given about the specific standards.
