A non-conformance in your Red Tractor report is a job list with a deadline, not a verdict. This guide sets out how the levels work, how long you have, and what Red Tractor says happens if it is not fixed.
A Red Tractor non-conformance is a standard the assessor could not see met. Your report lists it with the evidence expected and the timescale, and the membership rules say you must normally send evidence to your certification body within 28 days. A major non-conformance on a key standard, or too many, can lead to immediate suspension, and you cannot sell as Red Tractor Assured while suspended. If it is not corrected within 3 months of suspension, certification is withdrawn and you must reapply as a new applicant.
A non-conformance is Red Tractor's word for a standard you did not meet on the day. Under the membership rules, areas that do not meet the standards are highlighted throughout the assessment, and you are left or sent a report with details of each one, an indication of the evidence expected (for example invoices, photos, photocopies or a letter from the vet) and the timescales for action. Other assurance schemes say corrective action request, which means much the same thing.
Each one is recorded against the standard code in the manual, such as AM.6 for medicine administration records, so you can look up the exact wording. The standards manual also marks some items as recommendations, which do not affect certification.
One rule catches farmers out: assessors are not allowed to advise on, or suggest, how you correct things. They can tell you what failed, not how to fix it, so read the standard and, on a medicines or health plan point, ask your vet. Our Red Tractor audit checklist shows what the assessor looks at.
Red Tractor's sanctions page ties the level to the type of standard. Standards marked KEY in the manual carry the most weight, which is why the manual tells members to pay them particular attention.
| Standard type | Rating on report | What it means | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key | Major non-conformance | Total disregard for requirements of standards | Certification may be suspended immediately |
| Key | Minor non-conformance | Compliance with some elements cannot be demonstrated | Corrective evidence required |
| Normal | Non-conformance | Compliance with all or some elements cannot be demonstrated | Corrective evidence required |
| Recommendation | Not met | Not a standard | Does not affect certification |
Numbers matter as well as grade. The certification body can suspend if it judges the number of non-conformances to be excessive, and under rule 50 it can also suspend if the same non-conformance is found on successive visits. That second trigger is why a repeat is more serious than a first-time miss. The sanctions page does not define what counts as excessive, and I found no published number.
For anything other than a major on a key standard, the usual position is 28 days. The membership rules say that if you do not conform to any standards you must provide evidence, normally within 28 days, that you have rectified them. The sanctions page adds that you can ask for more time if the issue genuinely cannot be fixed in 28 days. The certification body decides, and you need a valid reason.
The deadline in your own report is the one that counts. Evidence goes to your certification body, and in some cases a revisit may be needed, which may incur a charge. Rule 48 makes you responsible for the cost of putting things right. Ask for more time in writing before the 28 days run out, not after.
A major non-conformance against a key standard is different. The sanctions page says certification may be suspended immediately, so there is no grace period to rely on. Separately, rule 53 lets the certification body withdraw certification, or Red Tractor end membership, where a major non-conformance capable of remedy is not remedied within 30 days, or another period notified, of a written notice.
The certification body may suspend. The rules list the grounds: a major non-conformance, an excessive number, the same one on successive visits, failing to rectify within the timescale, refusing or delaying an assessment, or reliable third-party evidence that you are not conforming.
While you are suspended you must not sell products as Red Tractor Assured, which the sanctions page says can affect trading. Suspension lasts until you have proved the non-conformances are corrected.
There is a limit. If within 3 months of the suspension date you have not shown they are corrected, the certification body will withdraw certification and your membership terminates automatically. Your right to sell as Assured ends immediately. You regain certification only by following the procedure for a new applicant, and the sanctions page says you are not assured until an assessment shows compliance with all standards. Revocation of membership by Red Tractor itself can be appealed within 14 days of the revocation letter, under the appeals procedure. Assessment and certification disputes go to your certification body.
Red Tractor describes reinstatement in practical terms, not as a separate process. Suspension is only lifted once you have proved that you have corrected the non-conformances, and in some cases a revisit may be required. The sanctions page says it is usually lifted once the certification body accepts your compliance evidence. I found no published timescale for how quickly that decision is made.
The risk-based approach adds a harder edge for some sectors. The risk-based assessment page applies to pigs, dairy and poultry, not beef and lamb. If poor compliance at a routine assessment classes a farm as higher risk, an unannounced spot check follows. Poor compliance there leads to suspension and a second spot check. The farm must demonstrate compliance with all standards before the suspension is lifted, and if a reinstated farm shows poor compliance at the second spot check, its membership is revoked.
Red Tractor can also impose special conditions under rule 43, such as extra assessments at your cost. Dairy producers should note that their membership follows their milk purchaser's: if the purchaser's is suspended or terminated, so is theirs.
Start with what Red Tractor itself says goes wrong. Its tips for avoiding non-conformances for beef and lamb members are to hold a written health and safety policy, to make sure at least one person has responsible medicines training with a certificate dated no earlier than October 2016, and to include a BVD management plan within the health plan. For dairy members they are the health and safety policy, no sharp edges or projections that could harm livestock, and a written Johne's disease plan from an accredited vet. The standards consultation adds that health planning has been the most common non-conformance since 2021.
Then fix the cause, not the paper. A corrected row fixes this visit's missing batch number; a monthly five-minute check for blanks fixes the next. Our Red Tractor records pack and medicine book template are built for that kind of check, and copying details from vet invoices closes a common gap. For the plan itself, see the health plan and annual vet review guide.
Keep a copy of every piece of evidence you sent, with the date, because a repeat is what leads to suspension. Our guide to how long to keep farm records says what to hold on to.
Treat it as a short project. Read every line, then list the standard code, what failed, the evidence asked for, the due date and who is doing it. Do the quick ones that week, and book anything needing the vet first, because a signed plan or certificate takes longer.
If anything cannot be done inside the timescale, write to your certification body before the deadline with the reason and a date you will deliver. Send the evidence by a method that leaves a record, and keep a copy. Check your status on the Scheme Member Checker, which the rules call the definitive proof of certification, until you see it confirmed.
FarmHQ, in beta, keeps a readiness score against the records on your list so a gap shows before the next visit, but a calendar and a folder do the same job. The point is to see the gap early rather than on the day.
It is a standard the assessor could not see met during your assessment. The report lists each one with the evidence needed and the timescale. Red Tractor's rules use the word non-conformance, which is what some other schemes call a corrective action request.
Normally within 28 days, sending evidence to your certification body. You can ask for more time if the issue genuinely cannot be fixed in 28 days, and the certification body decides. A major non-conformance on a key standard can mean immediate suspension, with no grace period.
The certification body can suspend you. If within 3 months of suspension you have not shown the non-conformances are corrected, certification is withdrawn and your membership ends automatically. You can only regain certification by applying again as a new applicant.
Red Tractor's appeals procedure covers revocation of membership by Red Tractor, with a written appeal due within 14 days of the revocation letter. Assessment and certification matters should go to your certification body, which has its own appeal procedure.