Government backs organic with landmark action plan for England
The Soil Association has welcomed the government’s long-awaited Organic Action Plan for England
New plan aims to nearly triple England’s organic farmland, helping farmers meet rising demand while protecting nature and strengthening food security.
The Soil Association has welcomed the government’s long-awaited Organic Action Plan for England, describing it as a major opportunity to grow homegrown organic food and build a more resilient farming system.
Published today (Wednesday 14 October) by Defra, the plan sets an ambition to increase the proportion of England’s farmland managed organically from around 3.4% to 10% by 2036. It is the first English action plan to set a clear ambition for organic land growth.
What is the Organic Action Plan?
Defra has described the plan as a roadmap for helping more farmers, growers and food businesses produce and sell organic food. It focuses on supporting new and existing organic producers, bringing domestic supply closer to consumer demand, improving supply chains and growing demand through public procurement and greater public awareness.
Organic food sales are now worth more than £3.9 billion, but often the growing demand is met through imports. Increasing production in England could put more homegrown organic food on shelves while creating opportunities for farm businesses, government has said.
Soil Association Chief Executive Helen Browning said:
Organic farming is a key solution to tackling the climate and nature crises without taking land out of food production. It’s great to see government backing organic with an action plan that will help us build farming systems that are less dependent on harmful chemicals and more resilient to climate change, boosting nature and safeguarding food security in the process.
“We’re excited to work with government to unlock economic opportunities by helping more British farmers and food businesses meet consumer demand for organic, reducing our reliance on imports.”
Organic farming avoids synthetic nitrogen fertilisers and pesticides, and works with nature to build healthy soils, support wildlife and protect water. These features can also make farms less reliant on costly imported inputs and better able to cope with extreme weather.
Turning ambition into action
The Soil Association - as part of the English Organic Forum, a collaboration of organisations across the organic sector - has been instrumental in helping to develop the plan with Defra.
We have provided evidence on both the benefits to organic farming and the barriers to scaling it up.
We will now work with government to break down those barriers, securing markets for British organic food. Success will be measured not simply by the plan’s publication, but by whether more farmers can convert, more British organic food reaches the market and a greater share of consumer demand is met by homegrown production.
The Soil Association will work with government and other English Organic Forum partners to turn the plan into practical action. This will include advocating for stronger, ringfenced support for organic through the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said:
“People are buying more organic food, and we want English farmers to be in a strong position to respond to that demand.
“Our Organic Action Plan for England is about opening up opportunities across the sector, from backing farmers already producing organic food to helping others decide whether it could work for their businesses.
"Demand for organic food is growing. By strengthening the market here at home, we can help more English farmers benefit from the demand on our shelves.”
Adrian Steele, Co-chair of the English Organic Forum and Soil Association Farming Advisor, said:
"An Organic Action Plan for England is a win for the UK's food and farming system. It recognises that more organic land can help the government to deliver its wider environmental goals, from healthier soils and cleaner water to more biodiversity and less reliance on artificial inputs like pesticides.
"With growing consumer demand for organic often being met by imports, we have long called for a more joined-up approach that breaks down supply chain barriers and helps farmers met that demand. England has an innovative and entrepreneurial food and farming sector, and we welcome this plan which we hope will create the right conditions for organic farmers, growers and businesses to invest and thrive."