The Red Tractor standards name a surprisingly short list of records. This is that list for beef, lamb and dairy farms, which ones can live on a simple template, and where to get the templates.
A Red Tractor beef, lamb or dairy farm should have ready a vet-signed health plan and annual vet review, medicine purchase, administration and disposal records, training and induction records, a holding register with movement records, feed purchase records, a complaints record, a vermin site survey and fallen stock collection records. Red Tractor publishes 32 templates, examples and guides for beef and lamb members, and most records fit a simple sheet. Check each against our Red Tractor audit checklist. The standards are as at February 2025.
The list below comes from the beef and lamb standards and the dairy standards, both version 5 modified, February 2025. Standard codes are shown so you can find the clause. Where a retention period is stated I give it.
| Record | Standard | Kept for |
|---|---|---|
| Health plan, signed and dated by the vet | AH.1 | Reviewed annually |
| Vet annual health and performance review | AH.1.1 | Annual |
| Medicine purchase and administration records | AM.5, AM.6 | 5 years |
| Medicine disposal records | AM.7 | Not stated |
| Induction and training records | PL.1, PL.2 | 2 years after the person leaves |
| Holding register and movement records | TI.2, TI.2.1 | See the law |
| Feed purchase records | FW.6 | 2 years |
| Complaints and sample results record | DP.3 | Not stated |
| Vermin site survey | VC.1 | Annual while stock are housed |
| Fallen stock collection records | FS.3 | 2 years |
Alongside these sit documents rather than records: a farm map, an emergency plan, a written health and safety policy and a biosecurity policy. Our guide to how long to keep farm records puts the law's periods next to these.
Medicines usually come first. The health plan must be signed, dated and reviewed annually by the vet, be farm specific, and be easy for everyone caring for the stock to reach. The annual review is a separate document, signed by the nominated vet, and it draws on your health and performance data and medicine usage. Our health plan and annual vet review guide covers both.
Then the medicine records. Purchase records show the medicine, quantity, date, supplier name and address, expiry date and batch number. Administration records add the date, quantity, meat withdrawal length, animal or group, number treated, date treatment finished, date fit for human consumption, who gave it and the reason. Disposal records show the medicine, batch, quantity, date and route of disposal. The Red Tractor medicine book guide explains each field, and turning a vet invoice into an entry shows where the details come from.
Small items are easy to miss: a vet statement where a highest-priority critically important antibiotic is used, a withdrawal period declaration when treated animals are sold farm to farm, a broken needle policy, and a locked medicine store. Our medicine storage rules guide covers the last.
New starters since November 2021 need a documented induction covering the tasks they will do, health and safety information and reporting lines. Every worker needs a training record showing name, start date, induction date, training attended, date, and who provided it, with specific tasks listed where someone is trained for them. Keep it for 2 years after they leave.
At least one person who administers medicines needs a certificate of competence or attendance from training taken since October 2016 on the beef and lamb standard. The dairy standard says within the last 5 years. Red Tractor's own tips for avoiding non-conformances name this, the health and safety policy and the BVD plan as the common misses on beef and lamb farms.
Where a labour provider is used, the standard asks for a Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority licence and a written service level agreement. The health and safety policy must be written and communicated to workers. Drivers moving livestock need the right species certificate of competence. Our guide to farm health and safety and RIDDOR covers the legal duties behind it.
For cattle, a holding register detailing births, deaths and movements, on paper or computer, which the standard says cannot only be held in the national database. The database must be told within 27 days of birth, 7 days of death and 3 days of movement, and passports or proof of application must be on site for all cattle. For sheep, the register covers holding details, tag replacements, movements, deaths and the annual inventory as at 1 December, and received paper movement documents are kept for 3 years. Our holding register guide and sheep movement guide cover the detail.
Feed records must show supplier, feed type including ingredient composition, delivery date, quantity and load or batch number, and are kept for 2 years. Invoices, delivery notes and warranty declarations count as the record. Home mixing needs a record of ingredients, quantities and dates, and samples are kept for at least four weeks after last use when the mix changes.
Food chain information goes with every consignment sent to slaughter, and a transport declaration is needed if you carry another assured member's stock.
Water and cleaning are assessed on the walk round, not from paper. On the beef and lamb standards I read, there is no water record and no routine cleaning record, only the requirement that troughs are kept clean and that vehicles are cleaned and disinfected after every load. Do not spend a weekend inventing sheets nobody asked for.
Vermin control is a record. A site survey is completed at least annually while stock are housed or feed stores are in use, with date, locations, findings, action required and date completed. If baits are used, a bait plan and risk assessment are needed. Fallen stock collection records are kept for 2 years.
Dairy farms have more. The dairy standards want a displayed plant cleaning protocol, teat cup liner change records kept for 12 months, an annual milking machine test report with evidence faults were rectified, and an annual risk assessment or water test where a private supply is used in the parlour. The vet must also be told of each dairy antibiotic failure within 1 week.
Nearly all of them. The beef and lamb standard says the holding register can be on paper, computer or both, and the medicine information need not be in one book. Red Tractor publishes 32 beef and lamb templates, examples and guides, including medicine purchase, administration and disposal records, a training record, complaints record, home mixing record, vet review, health plan, vermin site survey and visitor record. The dairy page has its own set.
We have added three free CSVs that match the standards, each with two clearly labelled EXAMPLE rows to delete before use: the medicine book template, a feed delivery record matching FW.6, and a training and induction record matching PL.2. They open in any spreadsheet.
Two cautions. A template does not guarantee a pass: the assessor tests whether the sheet is complete and true. And the standards do not ask for a visitor record as such, only that the biosecurity policy covers farm visitors. A visitor book is still the cheapest evidence that the policy is followed.
Routine assessments for beef and lamb and dairy farms are normally once every 18 months, according to the Red Tractor membership rules, and spot checks can come at short notice. A pack built only when the letter arrives is the one that fails. Put a monthly 15-minute check in the diary: batch numbers and end dates on the medicine sheet, training entries for new starters, feed tickets filed, the health plan review date.
Red Tractor opened a consultation on the beef and lamb and dairy standards on 22 September 2026, closing 3 November 2026, and says nothing changes until 2027. Proposals include replacing the health plan with a 12-month action plan. Keep working to the February 2025 standards until the final version is published.
If an assessor finds a gap, see our guide to fixing a Red Tractor non-conformance. FarmHQ, in beta, tracks a readiness score against these records for you to act on, but a labelled folder and a spreadsheet do the same job if somebody checks them.
The standards ask for a vet-signed health plan and annual review, medicine purchase, administration and disposal records, induction and training records, a holding register and movement records, feed purchase records, a complaints record, a vermin site survey and fallen stock collection records, among others.
Yes. Red Tractor lists 32 beef and lamb templates, examples and guides, including medicine purchase, administration and disposal records, a training record, complaints record, home mixing record and vet review. Dairy, pig and other sectors have their own sets on the same website.
Two years. Standard FW.6 requires records of all feedstuffs purchased, showing supplier, feed type with ingredients, delivery date, quantity and load or batch number. Invoices, delivery notes, warranty declarations and grain passports can serve as the record.
Yes. The standards allow the holding register on paper or computer, and medicine information can be spread over a combination of documents, provided you can show how they correlate. A spreadsheet works if it is complete, backed up and available on the day.