UK growers will hope the NFU Audit Pack will help ease the tensions that has emerged between growers and the union over the Red Tractor scheme.

Electronic versions of the NFU Audit Pack are now available online to help farmers and growers with their Red Tractor Farm Assurance Fresh Produce Scheme audits, formerly the Assured Produce Scheme.

The NFU has told growers it hopes the audit pack will make the process simpler and ease the ill feeling towards the audit.

More than 500 businesses already have copies NFU Audit Packs, which are free to members and contain a set of templates, policies and supporting documents to help with the process.

The audit has come under fire from growers who believe it is too complicated and creates unnecessary paperwork while asking irrelevant questions.

The new interactive versions of the pack will enable members to go online and complete any of the pack contents electronically.

By the audit process, growers become licensed to use the Red Tractor logo on their produce.

NFU horticulture adviser and audit pack developer Laura Drew said: “The electronic version of these templates is another exciting step forward, with huge potential cost and time savings.

“Members can go online and complete the pack documents electronically and then print them off or save them as they require.

“Every member will benefit from requesting a hard copy pack first, as it provides a comprehensive overview and somewhere to keep the records once completed.

“The electronic versions are a complementary and additional audit aid which will mean less time spent photocopying and completing records by hand.”

The NFU estimates that employing a consultant to complete the audit would cost in excess of £400.

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