Your organic business after Brexit

Your Business & Brexit

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 20th June 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 1^st 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 1^st 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 29^th. 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.

Need to know

As of 1st January 2021 there were:

Implications for export organic products from GB to NI, the EU and other markets. This applies to food, seeds, plants, livestock, crops and feed. Textiles and cosmetic products sold with reference to organic are not affected, unless unprocessed agricultural products or processed agricultural products for use as food. For example, wool, (not carded or combed); raw hides and untreated skins; essential oils for use in food (food grade).
New requirements for import of organic products into GB from third countries (includes EU) and into NI from GB
New requirements for exporting organic products to NI, the EU and other third countries
New labelling requirements for labelling in the GB and for organic products exported to the EU and NI

Checklist for your business

The following information has applied since 1st January 2021:

Exporters should ensure their overseas importers are certified, labelling complies with their country's requirements and if required, a Certificate of Inspection (or Import) is provided
Both GB importers and 1st consignees in GB have a 'processor' license and a GB Certificate of Inspection should be presented at port (from 31st Dec 2023 for imports from EEA/EU)
Bour labelling for products placed on the GB market complies with any changes to UK requirements

Changes affecting all Farmers and Growers

Imports

If you directly import animals, animal products, food, feed and high risk products please makes sure you are aware of the new IPAFFS system applicable for organic and non-organic products. More information can be found on the Government website here.
If you directly import any organic products please visit our importing page for the latest guidance.

Exports

Changes to live animal export came into effect on January 1st 2021. For more information click here.
Please visit our Brexit Hub exporting page for the latest guidance on organic exports to NI, the EU and Non-EU countries. If you are a producer directly exporting to NI or the EU please email coi@soilassociation.org with details, you may be required to provide yield information before you can export.

Labelling

For changes to labelling, please view our labelling pages.

Exporting from the UK

New export rules came into force from 1^st January 2021

Importing into the UK

New import rules came into effect on 1^st January 2021

Brexit and organic standards

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 since 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.