Brexit has caused much uncertainty for organic farmers and growers, manufacturers and traders.
As the UK’s leading food and farming charity we are here to reassure and support our licensees following our departure from the EU.
This Brexit Hub contains lots of free information, checklists for your business and webinars to help you prepare for Brexit.
This information is correct at the time of publishing on 28th April 2022. Please ensure that you are checking the page regularly for current information.
Important new updates and clarifications:
28/04 - The UK is postponing checks on imported food and fresh products from the EU until the end of 2023: This announcement means that the requirement for organic COIs from the EU, EEA and Switzerland due to come into force on 1st July will continue to be waived.
28/04 - Reduced Bank Holiday COI service: Please note the SA Certification COI team will be running a reduced service on Monday 2nd May and will be endorsing COI's which have been pre-arranged only. Please let us know if you urgently need COI's processed on Monday 2nd May. Normal service will resume on Tuesday 3rd of May. If you are a regular fresh exporter and export on weekends and or Bank holidays you have been added to this pre-arranged list.
17/3 – GB Certificates of Inspection required from 1/7 and cessation of EU-GB movement of out-of-scope products: From July 1st EU exporters will be require to present an endorsed COI for consignments destined for GB. It will not be possible for the certifiers of EU exporters to endorse a COI where products are not within scope of the EU-UK TCA ( i.e. are not grown/reared or processed - according to UK regulatory definitions – in the EU). We are encourage businesses to communicate this to EU suppliers as a matter of urgency and to share details with us on potential commercial impacts will provide a full briefing webinar on April 29th. You can register here.
4/1 - SA Certification no longer able endorse COIs on TRACES for out-of-scope product under our BIO-142 scheme: New Implementing Regulation EU 2325/2021 has now been published and amends the lists of recognised third countries /certification bodies previously detailed in Annexes III and IV of Regulation EC 1235/2008. UK certifiers are now listed in Annex II of EU 2325/2021 and all consignments exported to the EU and NI must be endorsed under GB-ORG-05 and be within scope of the TCA.
23/12 – Movements to NI: Defra have confirmed that the UK Government’s standstill period applies to the re-export of EU and RoW organic products under STAMNI. Authorised Traders can continue to move organic goods in 2022 as they did in 2021.
From January 1st 2021 there were:
From the 1st January 2021:
Imports
Exports
Labelling
For changes to labelling, please view our labelling pages.
What’s staying the same?
Nothing will change to the Soil Association organic standards post-Brexit and we will continue to maintain our existing high standards.
All UK certifiers will continue to certify UK organic businesses for UK trade.
All issued certificates with a 2021 expiry date will remain valid in the UK. Read more on certificate validity from January 1st 2021.
What’s changing?
New UK organic food & farming statutory instruments have now been passed into law, ready to become regulation after Brexit. In anticipation of continued access to EU market these will remain closely aligned with existing EC organic regulations.
Events & Workshops
Government advice
Scotland