- England is failing to capitalise on the opportunities of the rapidly growing organic market to convert more farmland to organic production - leaving the door wide open to imports
- Scotland leads the way on nature-friendly farming with government incentives and ambitious targets set to double organic land by 2026
- An organic action plan desperately needed in England to focus support and confidence to meet the UK’s environmental targets and deliver growth seen in Scotland and Europe

The latest organic farmland statistics from Defra reveal a disappointing picture for England, Wales and Northern Ireland while Scotland enjoys its sixth year of fully organic land growth. Total organic farmland (including land in conversion) in Scotland increased by 13% to 131,500ha in 2024 – demonstrating its strong leadership on nature friendly farming – while England saw just a 1% rise to 502,800ha and Wales saw a decline of 11% to 68,300ha. 

While there was positive growth in UK organic farmland in conversion with a 36% increase - again this was dominated by new entrants in Scotland – doubling (102% rise) organic farmland in conversion in 12 months to 26,500ha in 2024 - up from 13,100ha in 2023. England saw just a 7% increase at 19,600ha up from 18,300ha in 2023 and Wales experienced a sharp decline of - 45% from 4,200ha in 2023 down to 2,300ha in 2024. 

Soil Association Organic Development Advisor Adrian Steele said: “Scotland is continuing to lead the way on organic farmland and conversions with strong government support and ambitious targets to boost nature friendly farming. England is falling significantly behind with little or no discernible growth in total organic farmland in ten years and the freezing of the Sustainable Farming Incentives having an immediate impact on organic conversions. 

"What is so disappointing is that the opportunity to supply the growing organic market is now being handed on a plate to farmers in the EU. Not only are our farming businesses missing out, but we are, as a country falling further behind in meeting our targets for increasing biodiversity.

“It is critical that the Government acts swiftly to replace the Sustainable Farming Initiative with a programme that will unlock the potential for UK home grown organic produce rather than stifling interest from farmers keen to adopt nature-friendly farming practices.
“But nine out of ten farmers, attending a recent webinar for those considering switching to sustainable, organic and nature-friendly farming, have expressed their frustration that the door has been shut on SFI payments which would support them to make the transition, discouraging them to commit without the reassurance that this offers.“In the short-term the Government could put organic back into the Countryside Stewardship scheme to provide an incentive for new entrants and the necessary maintenance support to avoid farmers losing faith and abandoning the sector.” The success of organic in countries like France and the Republic of Ireland have proved the importance of having successful agro-environmental schemes in place and strong leadership.

Adrian said: “There have been some positive conversations with Defra about an Organic Action Plan and its potential to mirror the success of many European countries and Scotland – but we desperately need to see this come to fruition.”

* Scotland * Scotland continues to lead the field on nature friendly farming and looks on track to achieve the Government’s target of 10% of farmland farmed organically by 2026.
Total organic land (including land in conversion) in Scotland is now at 131,500ha, up from 116,600ha in 2021 - a 26% increase since 2021. Land in conversion in Scotland doubled (102%) in 2024 from 2023 at 26,500ha and the number of organic operators (producers and processors) in Scotland up to 530. The total land share in Scotland is now at 2.6%, up from 1.8% at start of this parliamentary term in 2021.

Soil Association Co Director Scotland Policy said: “This demonstrates a clear direction of travel towards more organic production in Scotland that delivers on Scottish Government agricultural policy objectives.

“What is now needed from The Scottish Government is an Organic Action Plan to support the sector with a range of policy measures to develop the market including the use of public procurement to increase demand, improved processing capacity, promotion of Scottish organic produce and investment in research, advice and training.”

* Wales * It's a mixed picture in Wales where despite some disappointing falls in total organic farmland, down 9% and a drop in farmland in organic conversion to 2,300ha the trend in total organic farmland remains upwards. Given the growth in the UK organic market and the pressing need for widespread adoption of climate-resilient and nature-friendly farming practices Wales has yet to deliver its full potential towards organic. 

While the Welsh Government has recently reinstated its support for organic there's still uncertainty around what future support will look like yet and the ongoing absence of a conversion scheme is not helping confidence and is evidently a constraint on growth. There remains demand from farmers for organic conversion and a return to growth will be critical to deliver the Welsh Government's Sustainable Land Management objectives. 

* Strong demand for organic food and drink * Soil Association Certification Commercial Director Georgia Phillips said: “This looks like a repeat of last year’s organic farmland stats, revealing sustained strong performance by Scotland where there is clear government support, and a lack lustre performance by the rest of the UK. It’s a missed opportunity we must grasp for the UK to boost our organic farmland in line with the burgeoning organic market. By addressing this we will realise significant benefits for UK farmers, our health, nature and the environment.

“Demand for organic food and drink is on a trajectory with positive growth in 2024 at 7.3% taking the market to £3.7bn. And data for the first quarter of 2025 shows a continuation of the positive momentum, with further volume and value growth. We see double-digit growth for the organic market at 10% over 12 weeks, with unit sales +4.8%. If we count the 52 weeks to 22nd March 2025, the organic market has seen +8.9% value growth and +5.3% unit growth (source: NIQ Scantrack, Total Coverage, Organic Food & Drink category Soil Association defined).

“It is important that the right support and incentives are put in place to enable farmers to capitalise on this market growth and build the confidence needed to commit to transitioning to organic.

“We know that there are plenty of farmers who want to shift their system of production to be more in tune with nature. But they need the reassurance that the Government is committed to meeting its environmental targets and fully behind a sustainable and resilient approach to farming.”