Certified Enterprise FAQs

What are the three main reasons to become Certified?

One

Pasture for Life represents a distinct method of farming in which ruminant livestock is exclusively raised on pasture and forage. The produce from this system of farming is typically associated with particular health, animal welfare and environmental benefits.

Two

Certified Producers can use the Pasture for Life Certification Mark on their produce and marketing, which is a trusted means of clearly identifying the produce and its integrity to consumers.

Three

More and more consumers are looking for 100% pasture fed, certified produce. It provides a distinction over the commonly used term ‘grass-fed’ which is misleading (because they only need to have 51% grass in their diet) and does not provide the benefits of 100% pasture fed.

What is certification and who is it for?

If I'm a Certified Producer, does that mean that my land is certified?

No. We certify the animal and the animal products, not the land. This is great for graziers or people on more informal grazing and land access arrangements.

What can become a Certified Enterprise?

Any UK-based ruminant livestock enterprise managed in accordance with our standards. This includes cattle, sheep, goats, water buffalo and farmed (domesticated) deer.

What products can be certified?

Any products derived from the animals listed above, including meat, dairy, leather, hides, skins, fibre including wool and mohair, tallow and bones.

Do I have to be a Pasture for Life member to become certified?

No. However, the £120 p/a licensing fee is covered in our membership fees. As membership costs £120 p/a, and includes multiple additional benefits — from events and research to discounts and a personal dashboard — it will likely make sense for you to become a member and, in essence, receive your licensing fee for free. We can make you a member as part of your application process.

I am selling meat directly from my farm. Do I need to register as both a Certified Enterprise and Approved Business?

It depends. If you are selling just your own, PfL Certified, meat directly to your customers then there is no requirement to apply to become an Approved Business. When a certified producer also runs a supply chain business that processes and sells non-certified Pasture for Life products, or certified products from other producers, then that business will need to apply for Approved Business status.

Can I certify the livestock that are on my farm before certification?

It depends.

All livestock that are marketed for meat under the Certification Mark must be certified as being managed in compliance with these Standards from birth to the point of slaughter. However, at initial certification, if you can demonstrate that past management met Pasture for Life standards, you may be permitted to include animals born and raised on the farm as part of your certified herd and/or flock.
Any purchased store animals or youngstock on the farm must be sourced from other Certified Enterprises to qualify as Certified.
Livestock that are to produce milk under the Certification Mark must be managed in compliance with these standards for at least three months before they can produce certified milk.

Can I keep certified and non-certified stock on my farm once certified?

It is fine to keep certified and non-certified stock on your farm as long as they are all managed to the Pasture for Life Standards and only certified stock are marketed under the Certification Mark.

Fees

How much does certification cost?

The cost depends on several factors:

The certification license fee is £120 p/a. If you are a Pasture for Life member, then the license fee is included in your membership.
Inspection costs vary depending on how many enterprises you wish to certify, whether you choose an annual or triennial inspection programme, and whether the Pasture for Life audit is combined with other inspections. Find details of the inspection options and costs here.
PfL generates no revenue from the inspection process. We collect a modest levy annually. This income is vital for us in driving forward the influence of Pasture for Life and our message.

What is the Certification License Fee?

Anyone who wishes to be certified and use the Certification Mark must pay an annual licensing fee to do so. If the licensing fee is not paid, permission to use the Certification Mark will be removed.

What are levy payments?

We charge an annual levy fee on the sale of any livestock at the point of slaughter, marketed under the Certification Mark. The current cost is £5 per head cattle and 50p per sheep.

This is a vital part of maintaining the Pasture for Life certification system. We don't carry out the certification process ourselves, therefore we generate no revenue from certification other than our modest levy. This income is vital for us in driving forward the influence of Pasture for Life and our message.

Your levy payments directly fund critical work, including:

Maintaining Certification Standards: We aim to review the Standards annually, incorporating feedback from Certified Producers and Approved Businesses as well as any relevant research developments.
Promotion and Public Awareness: We increase the visibility of certified producers and promote pasture-fed products via our digital communications (10,000+ email subscribers, 40,000+ social media followers), at events (reaching an audience of 60,000 last year), and by collaborating with partner organisations in food, farming, and retail.
Research and Campaigns: We partner on numerous research projects that demonstrate the benefits of the farming practices required for Pasture for Life certification.
Market Development and Events: We ensure that the pasture-fed products you work hard to produce are trusted by consumers. We create new routes to market and support direct sales through events such as supper clubs.

Inspections

What certification body do you use for inspections?

Organic Farmers and Growers is our certifying body. So, once you have completed your application, we will submit your details to OF&G to carry out the inspection and they will invoice for inspection fees.

I'm already organic. Do I need to have an on-farm inspection?

Yes. However, it is possible to combine your organic (OF&G, SA, SOPA and BDA) and PfL audits. You can have an audit for Pasture for Life certification sooner rather than later to speed up the process, but this will incur a slightly higher fee than if combined with another inspection.

What can I do if my Organic certification is not carried out by OF&G?

OF&G can still arrange for you to have joint audits through other organic schemes, they will be able to discuss this with you during the application process.

Can I combine my PfL inspection with other assurance inspections?

It is not usually possible to combine with other inspections, such as Red Tractor, because the inspection intervals are different. However, we are exploring options to make this possible in the future.

Do we have to be inspected annually?

Yes. You can select an annual or triennial inspection programme. The triennial inspection programme involves one on farm inspection and two desk based inspections over a three year period, whilst the annual inspection involves an on farm inspection every year.

What happens if the Certification Standards change?

We regularly review and update our standards following feedback from Certified Enterprises and Approved Businesses and to align with the latest research knowledge. In these cases, we will send you the updated standards with a handy record of changes, flagging any alterations we have made. If you have any questions or are no longer compliant with the standards, contact your Certification Manager, Jenna, using our contact form.

What will I need to prepare for my inspection?

We have a collection of templates to help you prepare for your inspection and make the record keeping as straightforward as possible. The templates can be found in resources section of our website — search 'record keeping'. But please note that if you are keeping these records for other assurance schemes we do not expect you to duplicate anything for PfL.

OF&G will provide a list of the required records for your inspection and if you have any questions you can speak to them or contact your Certification Manager, Jenna, using our contact form and she will be happy to help guide you through.

Marketing and promotion

Can you help promote my business?

Yes. We love to promote the work of our Certified Producers and Approved Businesses and do so in monthly digital roundups as well as exclusive features and campaigns. Please email your Certification Manager, Jenna, with ideas using our contact form.

How does Pasture for Life help with the supply chain?

We increase supply chain demand through our awareness building campaigns — promoting the benefits of pasture-raised meat, dairy and fibre and growing recognition for the Pasture for Life certification mark. Our ‘where to buy’ page is the most visited page on our website — an important spotlight on Certified Producers and Approved Businesses.

Our membership is a great place to build strong trading networks with pasture-focused farmers and retailers. We also work with partner organisations to lobby the government for supply chain fairness.

In our Business Plan to 2030, we have re-committed to urgent supply chain work to secure fair, long-term relationships in the market; relationships to reward Certified Producers and Approved Businesses. Funding dependent, we will build on our relationships with a large number of supply chain businesses who want to buy PfL if we can get the route to market set up.

Is there a premium for certified produce?

Whilst conventional routes to market do not currently realise a premium for PfL certified produce, Certified Producers should see an improved margin due to lower inputs, as demonstrated by recent research. Where producers are selling directly to consumers or to independent butchers, retailers, restaurants or other businesses, they should be able to claim a premium price as there is increasing recognition and demand for Pasture for Life produce.

How should I label certified produce?

Certified produce should carry the Certification Mark and the necessary batch identification to ensure full traceability. See the Certification Standards for more details. We will email you a livestock batch code and QR code when a livestock transfer goes through. When scanned, this QR code will take your customers through to your profile on our website. View 'how to upload your livestock' for more.

Where can I get logos and marketing material for PfL Produce?

Once your personal dashboard is set up and the certification process is complete, you will be able to access these resources on the website. Alternatively, use our contact form.

Exemptions and provisions

Can I use veterinary medicines including antibiotics?

Veterinary medicines to treat, for instance, internal parasites or infections, may be used when required in the interest of animal health and welfare. However, the Standards do focus on only using such medicines when a need is demonstrated. There must also be plans in place to reduce reliance on such products wherever possible.

Can I still be certified if I feed a tiny bit of concentrate?

Yes, but only in certain circumstances. Animals that are sick, ill or otherwise in poor condition must not have prohibited feeds withheld if these are necessary to maintain animal health and welfare. However, these animals and any offspring must be recorded. Any animals that receive prohibited feeds will permanently lose their certification status and must not be sold as certified 100% Pasture for Life certified.

Are there nutritional provisions for ewes carrying multiple lambs?

Permitted feeds that can be fed are pure lucerne, sainfoin or grass nuts. If ewes carrying multiple lambs require additional feeding, prohibited feeds may be fed so that welfare is not compromised.

However, there must be efforts to ensure the need to feed such ewes is reduced in future years through management changes, this may mean selling these ewes, lambing at a different time of year, changing the breed or adjusting grazing management. Any ewes that receive prohibited feed cannot be marketed as certified and records must be kept of which animals have been fed.

Can I feed supplements?

Vitamin and mineral supplements can be provided to livestock under the Standards providing the need for them has been established and they must meet certain requirements:

The molasses content must not exceed 40% of the product and they must not contain any Genetically Modified ingredients.
It must also be free from soya, grains, legumes, urea, maize and any other products listed as prohibited feeds in Standard 3.4.4 of the Certification Standards.
Records must be kept of the ingredients of any supplements offered to any group of certified animals and made available for inspection.

For further information and suggestions of suitable supplement products, contact your Certification Manager, Jenna, using our contact form.

Does it take longer to fatten grazing animals in a Pasture for Life system?

It can as reducing reliance on concentrate feed can result in a slightly longer finishing period. But with good grassland management, finishing times and stocking rates can match, and in some cases exceed, the industry averages.

Other

Do I need to use a PfL approved abattoir?

Pasture for Life does not approve abattoirs. Historically, we used to do this, however, given that the numbers are dwindling so quickly, we took the decision to allow Certified Producers to make their own choices about the most suitable abattoir for their needs.

Where can I buy certified livestock?

We have various ways that Certified Producers can advertise or find certified stock:

If you are a member, you will have access to the Livestock Marketplace, forum, and regional WhatsApp groups. Contact your Membership Manager, Bryony, using our contact form for access.
Your Certification Manager, Jenna, can also send messages to Certified Producers with your requirements and contact details. Use our contact form.