Organic Trade Conference 2025

Discover how the organic industry can appeal to the hearts and minds of loyal shoppers while attracting new audiences.

Join us to discuss ideas, build valuable connections with other industry leaders and professionals and enjoy a delicious feast alongside our organic experts.

Lennart Nertels has been chairman of Junges Bioland e.V. since 2022, the youth organisation of Bioland e.V., Germany's largest organic farming association. Building agricultural youth structures and representing the interests of young organic farmers in Germany and internationally are central goals of his volunteer work. He is also a young farmer and gardener from Westphalia, Germany. He holds degrees in environmental sciences and political science from the universities of Lüneburg and Hohenheim. 

Mike is responsible for commercial development with food, non food and e commerce retailers at NielsenIQ. With over 30 year’s retail experience, he is a lead commentator of thought leadership and regularly shares his viewpoints on the ` State of the Nation` with the Media, the City and at Conferences. As a contributor to Global Thought Leadership from NIQ, he supports retailer, manufacturer and financial services clients with retail, business and shopper insight for UK and Western Europe. Mike is also a member of the KPMG Retail Think Tank (RTT).

Dominie Fearn is the founder of The Wild Hare Group, bringing regenerative, organic ready-meals to major UK retailers, and Wild Chain, a data platform proving sustainability through farm-level metrics. Passionate about food, farming, and transparency, she champions British farmers and leads innovation at the intersection of environment, supply chain, and consumer choice.

Liv is a farmer currently taking a hiatus from the land as she determines her next step back into the sector. Driven by a vision for a diverse and democratic food system, Liv is a passionate good food advocate. She dreams of a system that values community, connections, ecosystems, and health over profit and power, ensuring everyone has access to high-quality, nutritious food. Liv began her journey working in community food growing and food waste redistribution in London. This hands-on experience led her to work on farms across the UK and Australia. Building on this foundation, she and her partner successfully ran an organic market garden in North Devon for eight years, before concluding that chapter in 2024.

Niamh Noone is the new Head of Marketing & Communications at Soil Association Certification. Over the past eight years she has supported organic sector growth by leading dynamic marketing campaigns like Organic September, fostering sector collaboration and developing messaging around the benefits of organic food and farming. Working closely with the Soil Association charity, Niamh has also helped develop impactful statements based on peer-reviewed research, and navigated the complex regulatory space around making environmental and health claims about organic. 

Michael leads the Soil Association Exchange sales team as Commercial Director, spear-heading the growth of the company and corporate partnerships at Exchange. He has a varied career, ranging from facilitating and funding environmental research impact, to working with the European Space Agency and space-data companies, to build products and services that capture and map nature-based solutions and wider environmental data. 

Sarah has 20 years’ experience in the organic sector. She is a member of the IFOAM Organics International World Board and is passionate about collaborating with people from across the globe in order to support the organic movement and the positive impacts it delivers for people and planet. She is closely involved in activities related to standards and regulation and is on the Board of the International Organic Accreditation Service (IOAS). Sarah brings her global experience to a UK focus by overseeing the charity’s work on Organic for All. This focuses on the pathway to make organic affordable, available and accessible to everyone in society. 

10:30 Welcome coffee & registration 

11:15 Introducing the day 

11:25 Opening Keynote: Harnessing Storytelling for Organic Success  

12.15 Riding the Regenerative Wave: Why Organic Leads the Way 

12.40 The state of organic in retail – Insights from NielsenIQ 

13:00 Lunch in The Barbican Conservatory  

14:30 Seeding the future: inspiring the next organic generation 

15:10 The evidence for organic: turning data into trust 

15:50 Wrap up summary and thank you 

As “regenerative agriculture” captures the spotlight, organic businesses have a unique opportunity to lead the conversation and demonstrate how organic already delivers on regenerative principles. In this talk we’ll share newly developed tools and visuals to help you communicate that story with confidence and clarity. 

Niamh Noone, Head of Marketing, Soil Association Certification 

Sarah Compson, Director of Standards Innovation, The Soil Association 

Join NielsenIQ for an in-depth look at how the organic market is performing in retail today, with fresh insights into consumer demand, sales trends, and future opportunities.  

Mike Watkins, Head of Retailer & Business Insight, NIQ 

The future of the organic market rests in the hands of younger generations; the organic farmers and consumers of tomorrow. How does the sector successfully engage with and inspire Gen Z and Gen Alpha with the benefits of organic and its transformative potential. In this panel discussion we’ll explore the challenges facing young people wanting to work the land today, look across to Europe for solutions and ask how businesses are marketing to younger consumers. 

Lennart Bertels, Chairman, Junges Bioland e.V. 

Olivia James, Ambassador Programme Manager, Soil Association 

Patrick O’Flaherty, Founder, Pip Organic 

Chair: Lee Holdstock, Head of Regulatory & Trade Affairs, Soil Association Certification 

Consumers want to shop more sustainably but face a confusing landscape of claims. At the same time businesses are facing increasing pressures to demonstrate their climate impact. In this panel we’ll ask why building a strong data pool is key to evidencing organic as a powerful solution for climate, nature, and health, and how to go about it. 

Michael Hanley, Commercial Director, Soil Association Exchange 

Dominie Fearn, Founder & Director, The Wild Hare Group 

Julia Kirby-Smith, Executive Director, Better Food Traders 

Chair: Georgia Phillips, Commercial & Marketing Director, Soil Association Certification