Guy Smith has been appointed as Red Tractor’s new Combinable Crops and Sugar Beet Sector Chair and will succeed Laurence Matthews, who completes his second term in November 2020.

Mr Smith joins Red Tractor after decades of noteworthy experience as an advocate and leader in the British agricultural industry, and a background in practical farm business management and award-winning conservation.  His roles have included serving as the Deputy President of the National Farmers Union (NFU), an NFU Governance Board Member and an AHDB Crops Board Member.

Jim Moseley, Red Tractor CEO said: “British Agriculture is facing some of the greatest challenges of a lifetime. We must show strong leadership to protect the integrity of the food chain and British agricultural standards and I’m sure that Guy’s experience and skills will help us navigate through this time.”

Guy Smith said: “I’m delighted to join Red Tractor at such a critical time for British Agriculture. I’ve been Red Tractor Assured since its inception twenty years ago. Their standards have been developed over two decades and are the bedrock of our industry.  We must continue to protect and defend these standards, and work to win the hearts and minds of government, consumers and the industry;  so we don’t witness an influx of imported food produced to standards that are lower than the UK.”

Jim Moseley added: “I would like to thank Laurence Matthews for over a decade of leadership and dedicated service to Red Tractor, most recently as Chair of the Crops Sector. We wish him all the best for the future when his term ends.”

Red Tractor is the UK’s largest food standards scheme, covering animal welfare, food safety, traceability and environmental protection. Working with experts in their fields, the programme ensures that families across Britain have access to safe, quality food that has been grown and reared in the UK to rigorous farming standards.