NFU drives the Little Red Tractor even further

Jan 24 2004 By The Journal

First of all, a happy new year from everyone at the NFU North-East regional office, as we prepare for one of the biggest changes in agriculture for many years - courtesy of forthcoming CAP reforms.

As we look forward to 2004, we hope these changes will also bring a wealth of opportunity for all our members.

In June 2000, the NFU launched the Little Red Tractor promotional campaign to highlight the quality of British food.

Since then we have seen the LRT go from strength to strength, gaining support from all major retailers and used on £5 billion of products every year.

This year we have seen the logo used even more widely on products such as sugar and there are plans to try to include it on turkeys in the near future.

For British farmers to enjoy a healthy share of the market in years to come, it is imperative that we make it easy for consumers to understand the benefits of buying British. This is where the LRT campaign comes into its own. Three years of Government funding is already in place for Assured Food Standards, who manage the LRT scheme. This presents a huge opportunity to move the campaign into its next phase of evolution.

Plans are in hand to step up promotional activity on issues relating to animal welfare, food quality and safety and the environment, all of which are covered by LRT assurance.

These plans include a campaign later this year to increase public recognition of the Little Red Tractor brand and boost still further consumer confidence in the quality and safety of British produce.

Another very successful NFU marketing initiative has been the Christmas turkey hotline, which ran again this year for its third year. The idea is that turkey producers register for the scheme, and a hotline number is given out to members of the public. People ringing the hotline are then put in touch with a local farmer from whom they can buy their turkey. Thirteen farmers from the North- East registered this year - a record number for our region. Word is spreading fast on just how successful this initiative is - last year alone the hotline generated £50,000 worth of extra sales for farmers.

The NFU, in conjunction with the Institute of Grocery Distribution, is aiming to run some more "Improving Competitiveness Workshops" in the region in York and hopefully one further north in the Newcastle/Durham area.

These workshops are designed to improve farmers' skills and knowledge of the food supply chain, and are provided at a fraction of the cost of a commercial course.

These courses will enable participants to recognise consumer needs and understand the importance of focusing on changing markets and consumer requirements. It will also help them look at initiatives designed to help the whole supply chain to better meet consumer needs. Here's to a prosperous 2004 for agriculture!