CLIMATE group River Action urged supermarkets today to stop relying on the “Red Tractor” label as proof of environmental standards.

The demand comes after the Advertising Standards Authority ruled that the scheme had misled the public, banning a 2023 TV ad which claimed that products were “farmed with care.”

A voiceover on the ad said: “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.

“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.”

River Action challenged the ad, citing Environment Agency reports showing Red Tractor farms failing to meet pollution standards. 

Red Tractor, however, told the ASA that its standards applied primarily to farming, animal welfare and food traceability.

Citing data from 2014-2019, River Action highlighted that the scheme’s farms were responsible for 62 per cent of the most serious pollution events in England.

But Red Tractor explained that this represented 250 incidents, out of 59,013 farms, therefore “in reality, it was a tiny percentage of farms (0.4 per cent).”

River Action warned that Environmental Information Requests from 2020–2025 show 19,305 instances of non-compliance. 

But the presentation of Environment Agency data was disputed by Red Tractor, which said it does not concern compliance with the firm’s own standards that do not cover all environmental regulation. 

Ruling the ad misleading, ASA said that the firm “did not consider the average consumer would understand that any of the claims made in the ad were references to the environment.”

“We told Red Tractor, when claiming ‘farmed with care’ in conjunction with ‘all our standards are met’ in advertising, to make clear exactly what standards they were referring to, and the degree to which they claimed that they were being met.”

River Action founder Charles Watson said: “This ASA ruling confirms what we’ve long argued: Red Tractor’s claims aren’t just misleading – they provide cover for farms breaking the law. 

“The time has now come for our major food retailers to lay out credible plans as to how they will move away from this busted flush of a certification scheme and support farmers whose working practices are genuinely sustainable.”

Tesco and Asda, which are among the supermarkets stocking Red Tractor products, were approached for comment.

Red Tractor chief executive Jim Moseley said: “We believe the ASA’s final decision is fundamentally flawed and misinterprets the content of our advert.

“The advert, which is now almost five years old, was last broadcast in 2023 and focused on Red Tractor’s standards for traceability, food safety and animal welfare. 

“It made no environmental claim, and we completely disagree with the assumption that it would have been misinterpreted by consumers.”