KFC Red Tractor chicken

Red Tractor’s new campaign will highlight standards the food is produced to, both at farm level and throughout the supply chain

Red Tractor will launch its first TV ad push later this year in a bid to increase consumer awareness of the scheme’s guarantees.

The assurance scheme is planning a multimillion pound spend on the campaign, which is set for transmission in late summer on across national and digital channels targeting the mainstream consumer.

The campaign would highlight standards Red Tractor food is produced to, both at farm level and throughout the supply chain, said Red Tractor head of marketing Richard Cattell. It follows research carried out by the organisation in collaboration with YouGov showing 70% of consumers were aware of the Red Tractor logo, and 60% were positively influenced by it.

“If we tell them a little bit more about what Red Tractor does, not just at farm level but throughout the supply chain, they are twice as likely to look for the logo,” added Cattell. “About a third will trade up from the cheapest product to the RT product when they see the logo.”

Red Tractor standards guarantee that all meat, dairy and produce marked with the RT logo are traceable back to their farm or field of origin, antibiotics are given only when an animal is ill and requires a prescription and, if required, crops are washed with water safe enough to drink.

The move follows suggestions by environment secretary Michael Gove that schemes such as Red Tractor could be extended to create a world-leading measure of food and farming standards in the UK.

“British on its own is not enough. People want to know what’s behind the Union flag, which is why they like the Red Tractor logo as it’s about British but also about the standards food has been produced to all along the food chain,” said Cattell.

“We know traceability, safety and being produced with care are growing in importance for consumers and we would like to position ourselves as the flagship of British food and farming.”