A proposed farm to fork assurance review has officially been launched with the announcement of its independent commissioners panel.
The review was commissioned by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), as well as NFU Cymru, The Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) and NFU Scotland (NFUS).
The industry bodies will reportedly form part of the assurance review steering group, which has overall responsibility for the delivery of the review.
Three of the four commissioners responsible for setting terms of reference have been appointed, with the fourth commissioner to be appointed in due course. The three commissioners are Dr David Llewellyn CBE (lead commissioner), former vice chancellor of Harper Adams University; James Withers, former CEO of Scotland Food and Drink; and Mark Suthern, chairman of trustees of the Farming Community Network (FCN).
The review will reportedly look at:
- How farm assurance can deliver value back to scheme members
- How standards are developed to meet the evolving needs of members, the markets they serve, sector diversity and in appreciation of the global marketplace
- How assurance members are engaged with (including the development of standards), inspected and how technology is used in assurance now and in the future
- How assurance schemes can and should fit with regulation and Government schemes to best serve members.
Dr Llewellyn said: “I look forward to getting the review under way, and to the Commission engaging with the industry to see how the assurance system can meet the future needs of food producers while underpinning our collective aim to continue, and further develop, the delivery of a high-quality UK food system.”
