Exclusive elaine watson Influential government body the Land Use Policy Group will call for the creation of a green kitemark that farmers who meet strict environmental standards can attach to their produce to command a premium in the marketplace. The call will be made in a study commissioned by the group ­ comprising government agencies such as the Environment Agency, the Countryside Agency and English Nature ­ and presented to retailers, NGOs and other parties in the new year. The Countryside Agency's Eat the View' project manager Peter Simpson said the proposed mark could sit alongside the British Farm Standard mark, the little red tractor', which has a greater emphasis on animal welfare and food safety than stringent environmental standards. He added: "There is nothing in the marketplace to reward farmers in agri-environmental schemes. We're looking at an instantly recognisable benchmark that rewards green credentials. The last thing we want is to discredit the red tractor." Coming in the wake of the FSA's call for a "significant review" of food assurance schemes and calls from the National Trust and the RSPB for a green mark' to cut through the plethora of logos in the market, the timing of the report is particularly pertinent said Simpson. "This is still in the embryonic stages and there is no clear consensus yet regarding accrediting bodies and so on, but it is gathering momentum." National Trust policy officer Elly Robinson said the Commission on the Future of Farming and Food would almost certainly have explored the value of kitemarks and might make a recommendation on the subject when it reports to prime minister Tony Blair next year. Assured Food Standards md David Clarke said ASF was working with the Countryside Agency to tighten up the environmental standards that underpin current assurance schemes. However, he questioned the need for "yet another logo" in the marketplace and doubted whether consumers would be willing to pay a premium for it. {{NEWS }}