Building the future of organic

A sector-wide plan for growth

Following the closure of UK Organic in 2025, Soil Association Certification stepped forward to help maintain momentum and provide leadership for the UK organic sector.

Over the past year, this has focused on ensuring organic continues to have a strong voice with consumers, retailers, policymakers and the wider industry.

Our year in action

Since stepping into this space, we:

• appointed a dedicated Consumer PR Manager focused only on organic

• secured a press reach of more than 158 million across food, farming, beauty and hospitality

• reached record PR coverage of 96 million for Organic September's gut health experiment

• commissioned an independent meta-analysis of the organic evidence base, in partnership with the British Ecological Society

• supported the Waitrose Duchy Organic and Tesco own-brand organic relaunches

• hosted an organic farm tour, coordinated an organic-themed pop-up activation at Ocado headquarters, and supported retailers to build their organic strategies

• worked with retailers including Morrisons on a 10-point organic action plan

• represented the sector on welfare labelling, trade and regulatory issues

Advocacy for organic businesses

As English Organic Forum co-chairs, we played a significant role in helping to shape and evidence the need for an Organic Action Plan for England, following successful lobbying for the implementation of Scotland's Organic Action Plan, in which we played a key role alongside the Soil Association charity.

We also:

• submitted evidence to government committees on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) alignment with the EU

• kept businesses informed on developments around EU organic claims

• contributed to discussions on gene-editing coexistence

We listened to the sector

To shape future priorities, we consulted extensively with organic businesses and stakeholders across the sector. This included:

• a sector-wide survey that received more than 250 responses

• a dedicated "Have Your Say" engagement space at our annual Organic Trade Conference in 2025, reaching over 170 attendees

• 3 sector working groups covering arable, horticulture and dairy production, with participation from across the organic supply chain

Feedback revealed clear priorities

The sector wants to see:

• stronger consumer engagement with organic

• action to address market challenges such as availability and accessibility

• continued investment in building the evidence base for the benefits of organic

Businesses also highlighted the need for practical support, including:

• marketing resources and promotional activity

• market data and consumer insights

• continued government engagement and lobbying

Building on this feedback and the work completed to date, we have developed a new 10-Point Organic Trade Plan.

Introducing the 10-Point Organic Trade Plan

The plan is structured around 3 strategic pillars. These are designed to address the sector's most pressing challenges while creating long-term opportunities for growth:

1. Increase consumer engagement with organic

To grow demand, we need to make organic more visible, relevant and compelling to today's consumers.

Our focus is on positioning organic as the trusted choice for health and nature. Working with various sector groups, we will support this through targeted marketing and PR activity at key points in the year:

• collaborating with organic brands on the Wake Up to Organic campaign

• providing PR and marketing support for Open Farm Sunday

• engaging retailers and working with organic brands to deliver Organic September (2026’s theme is "Organic: A Shortcut to Better")

• facilitating new opportunities for collaboration between organic brands

2. Evidence the value of organic

Strong evidence, market data and thought leadership are essential in securing support from retailers, policymakers and consumers.

Key actions include:

• publishing the Organic Market Report 2026, including a dedicated Scotland edition, which is free to download

• delivering a strategic programme of retailer engagement

• relaunching the Marketing Organic guide, with new guidance on green claims regulation

3. Provide regulatory and policy support

We will continue to represent organic in policy discussions and ensure policy- and decision-makers understand its benefits for climate, nature, animal welfare and public health.

Key actions include:

• continuing to operate as a key delivery partner of Scotland's Organic Action Plan

• contributing to the development of the Organic Action Plan for England

• regulatory focus on SPS alignment, food system metrics and reporting, sustainable claims, and genetic engineering

• supporting international trade opportunities through the establishment of a new UK Trade Forum

Our vision is a thriving and successful UK organic market. Our mission is regular, coordinated activation moments that build marketing confidence and support market growth.

How to get involved

Whether you're a producer, processor, brand, retailer or trade body, your involvement can help direct the work and bolster the whole sector.

For example, you can participate in marketing and PR campaigns (like Organic September) that help consumers better understand the "what is" and "why" of organic. You can also support policy and advocacy initiatives.

Together, we can build greater awareness, increase demand and create a thriving future for organic. To find out more or discuss how you can get involved, contact us at businesssupport@soilassociation.org.