Soil Association Certification statement on EIR ruling
Soil Association Certification statement on EIR ruling
Soil Association Certification has appealed a decision by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) that it should be regarded as a public body and should directly handle requests for information under Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs).
Soil Association Certification felt that the ICO ruling was inaccurate, as information requests regarding information from organic control bodies have always been processed by Defra. This is because under the terms of the contract with Defra, all EIR requests addressed directly to any Control Body must be passed promptly to Defra to comply with.
The ruling followed a request from WildFish directly to Soil Association Certification, seeking to access inspection reports around organic farmed salmon certified by Soil Association Certification, a request that was forwarded to Defra.
This is because under the terms of our contract with Defra, all EIR requests addressed directly to any Control Body must be passed promptly to Defra to comply with.
During 2025, Soil Association Certification has responded promptly to Defra, as the public body, on a number of requests for information under Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs), which have involved the sharing of inspection reports, amongst other documents.
The ICO ruling that these requests should be handled directly by Soil Association Certification was appealed, and this week the appeal has been rejected by the first-tier tribunal.
Although Soil Association Certification is still considering its next steps, Soil Association remain committed to transparency, and we are sharing our current statement.
Soil Association Certification Chief Executive Dominic Robinson said: “As an organisation, we believe that transparency is at the heart of building trust with consumers and therefore fully support the sharing of information, in line with the regulations. Trust is at the heart of our purpose, enabling us to deliver the impact we seek for nature, climate and health.
“We have never sought to withhold information, as has been wrongfully suggested by some. It is the right reporting channels for the information, not the reporting of the information itself, that is in question, and that we seek to ensure is clearly set out.
“Our position has been throughout that we are contracted to provide the information to Defra , and they determine the appropriate release of information. The information that Wildfish has requested, therefore, could be requested via Defra. We are now considering the points raised by the tribunal and our next steps.”
Soil Association organic salmon review
The charity is currently conducting an extensive review into its involvement with setting standards for organic salmon, which are the highest in the sector.
The review is examining whether developing those standards further, combined with wider action from the industry and regulators, would be enough to ensure long-term sustainability and viability of organic salmon farming in Scotland.
However, organic remains a symbol people can trust. As it currently stands, consumers have a choice to buy salmon from farms with lower stocking densities, where the most harmful and polluting medicines are banned, and where feed must come from certified sustainable sources.
Find out more about the ongoing review and current consultation