Why are farmers concerned?
A number of brands have been developed which include fictional farm names. With Tesco entering this arena a number of members have concerns that these brands are falsely trading off the good name of British agriculture.
Why have retailers done this?
Retailers have done this for a range of reasons, but primarily to try and communicate a message of quality and trust to the customer.
Is the country of origin clear?
This varies between retailers and why we need you to go out and investigate. Where fictional farm brands are used we want the country of origin or the product to be very clearly labelled and include the Red Tractor logo on British products.
What fictional farm brands exist in red meat?
Retailer | Farm Brand | Product | Origin |
Tesco | Boswell Farms | Fresh Beef | British and Irish |
Aldi | Ashfield farms | Fresh, poultry, pork, beef and lamb | 100% British |
Lidl | Birchwood Farms | Fresh Lamb | British and NZ |
Fairview Farms | Fresh Pork | 100% British | |
Strathvale Farms | Fresh Beef | 100% British | |
Morrisons | Market Deals | Lamb Legs | New Zealand |
Waitrose | Duchy Organics | Fresh Lamb | British and New Zealand |
Duchy Organics | Fresh, frozen and ambient product (all organic) | British and imported |
What can I do to help?
Consumers can help by looking for the Red Tractor on lamb and beef, even if the product is branded as a fictional farm product.
Below you will see a quick “store watch” quiz for you to fill in about your local store- either email your results to Rm9vZENoYWluRm9jdXNAbmZ1Lm9yZy51aw== or post it to: NFU Food Chain Team – Store Watch, Agriculture house, Stoneleigh Park, Stoneleigh, CV8 2TZ.
Retailer and location | |
Date of visit | |
Total number of lines of fictional brands (for example, 500g mince, 2 frying steak, diced beef = 3 lines). If possible, record sector (beef or lamb) the origin: Irish, NZ, AUS, UK etc. | |
Imported lines total | |
British lines total | |
Is it clear which product is British? | |
Is the Red Tractor logo prominently displayed on British product? Is it on the front or back? | |
Is there anything else showing which products are British? Flags on pack? Images on the shelf? |