Red Tractor beer is not a brand in the UK (as opposed to the Palisade Red Truck IPA from Colorado), but a stamp that assures it is made only with British ingredients that have been checked for quality assurance.
Wells and Young’s has become the first major brewer to promote the Red Tractor logo.
Red Tractor “is a food assurance scheme which covers production standards developed by experts on safety, hygiene, animal welfare and the environment amongst other things.”
Reacting to Wells and Young’s announcement all bottles of Young’s Bitter will carry the Red Tractor logo, Jonathan Tipples, vice chairman of Assured Food Standards said: “The Red Tractor logo signifies that the ale has been brewed in the UK using hops, malt and barley produced to high standards on the farm and checked by independent inspections.”
The current barley and hops crisis (both prices and availability) has reminded many drinkers of the historically strong links between brewers and farmers.
Head brewer at Wells and Young’s Brewery, Jim Robertson, said: “It is incredibly important to us that we work with our farmers and suppliers and knowing that every drop of Young’s Bitter will be made with Red Tractor approved ingredients is a strong provenance message for our consumers.”
As I’m now taking rhizome cuttings of NM hops, I love the idea of locally approved products. Whatever the label. Bioregional identity- get proud-terroir.
Links between farmers and brewers sounds great,…. and I wait.
How does one become an inspector/approval agent and are they hiring?
I have “Hummingbird-Safe Hops”.
Sounds like you’re having fun Stan, keep it up!
It would be nice if the USA had similiar standards for this.