Red Tractor Assurance Safe Haven Scheme

The Red Tractor Assurance Safe Haven Certification Scheme is the scheme instigated by the Potato Council  with the support of the National Farmers Union (NFU), NFU Scotland and other bodies in response to the need to offer strong protection from imported disease for the whole industry. It began as a very effective way of reducing the threat of the potato disease Ring Rot but has since proven invaluable in the fight against many other phytosanitary risks.

The Safe Haven Scheme offers major advantages with minimal hassle for producers

• Simple effective scheme standards;
• Helps to safeguard the future of a seed potato business;
• Makes a major contribution to the security of the British potato industry;
• Enhances Britain’s reputation as a high quality seed potato supplier;
• Multiple benefits – help in fighting blackleg, Dickeya spp, brown rot and ring rot as well as other non-indigenous pests and diseases.

Growers who are already members of the Red Tractor Farm Assurance Fresh Produce scheme can have their Safe Haven audit carried out at the same time with very little in the way of extra cost and effort.

With seed customers starting to take notice and one major packer already sourcing all of their seed from Safe Haven certified growers the message to seed growers seems to be, ‘as soon as the harvester is back in the shed get on the phone to your certification body.’