The little red tractor label, which appears on products meeting the British Farm Standards, is to get a boost to its green credentials.

An initiative launched this week to develop the environmental standards of farm assurance schemes is being spearheaded by Assured Food Standards, the independent body that licenses the logo.

The scheme will also take into account the already heavy regulatory pressure on the farming community.

It will aim to identify gaps in existing scheme standards, agree on a set of baseline standards for crop production, intensive livestock and grazing livestock and come up with a timetable for incorporating the results of the study into assurance schemes.

The development work should be completed by July.

The chairman of AFS Chris Barnes said: 'We want to build on the advances made by assurance schemes and their members since the launch of the little red tractor.

This development is also fully in line with the recommendations of the Policy Commission on Food and farming and it is particularly pleasing that DEFRA and the agencies are joining together with us.

'The challenge will be to find a way forward which is practical, verifiable and effective – and which takes proper account of the pressures on farmers and the views of consumers, retailers and environmental interests.'