Red tractor ad banned over 'farmed with care' complaint

A TV ad for the Red Tractor scheme has been banned after an environmental group complained about the claim that its products were “farmed with care”.

- By JOSIE CLARKE

The ad, seen in May 2023, used a voice-over stated in rhyme: “Farmed with care, that’s the Red Tractor way. A label to trust, found on food every day. This promise is kept by the checks put in place, to care for our animals with the right food and space.”

It continued: “Our cows have a health plan, and a personal vet, from field to store all our standards are met. When the Red Tractor’s there, your food's farmed with care.”

The ad then showed an animated sequence of a person pushing a shopping trolley through a shop and then passing a flock of sheep and through the barn of a dairy herd.

River Action challenged whether the ad exaggerated the benefits of Red Tractor endorsement because they understood - based on reports from the Environment Agency - that some environmental standards relating to pollution on the scheme’s farms were not met. Red Tractor told the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that its standards applied primarily to farming, animal welfare and food traceability.

It said it did not consider the average consumer would understand that any of the claims made in the ad were references to the environment.

However it clarified that although environmental protection was not the primary focus of Red Tractor standards, a small number of them did serve to minimise and mitigate the risks of contamination and pollution.