​An independent evaluation of the UK’s farm assurance schemes is underway, with commissioners calling for evidence from industry.

The lead commissioners have launched a call for evidence that invites submissions from farming organisations, assurance scheme bodies, policy makers, food processors, retailers, foodservice operators and consumer groups, as well as relevant trade associations and representative bodies.

The evidence will provide a base for the review and will “assist in the development of its recommendations”, said the commissioners.

Dr David Llewellyn, the lead commissioner of the review, stated: “We are seeking further views to inform the review, and this is the opportunity for the supply chain to tell us their experiences of farm assurance. This is so that we hear directly from the food industry community on this important topic.

“We are looking forward to the participation in the call for evidence from as many supply chain companies and organisations as possible, as their contribution to this review will be vital to understanding how current farm assurance systems are used within the supply chain and how they might be improved for the future.

“Our evidence gathering will also involve direct engagement by the commissioners with other key stakeholder. By responding directly to the commissioners and not to the sponsors of the review, we intend to ensure that our work will be both independent and transparent and that we can hear from a wide cross section of stakeholders in farm assurance systems from across the UK.”

The project, which was jointly set up by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), NFU Cymru, the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) and NFU Scotland (NFUS), will aim to “repurpose UK farm assurance for a post-Brexit world”.

The review is planned to report at the end of 2024, and to participate in the consultation, industry is invited to contact UK-farm-assurance-review@genusplc.com.