The UK government has set out a new strategy to expand England’s organic farming over the next decade.
On Wednesday (14 October), the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) released its Organic Action Plan to increase organically managed farmland in England to 10% by 2036.
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At present, organic production makes up only 3.4% of the acreage.
There is a “growing” market for organic food, Defra said. According to a report from Soil Association Certification, UK organic food and drink sales rose for the 14th consecutive year in 2025.
Sales totalled £3.86bn ($5.15bn) in 2025, growing 4.2% compared to the 7.4% pace in 2024.
Figures show growth has been inconsistent in recent years, accelerating in 2024 from 2% in 2023 and 1.6% in 2022. However, those rates cooled from 5.2% and 12.6% in 2021 and 2020, respectively.
However, sales of organic food and drinks have almost doubled in the past decade from £1.95bn in 2015, the figures showed.
People are buying more organic food, and we want English farmers to be in a strong position to respond to that demand,” Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle.
The latest plan will include boosting demand for English organic products through consumer awareness and public-sector procurement.
The English Organic Forum (EOF), a coalition of organic-focused organisations, has welcomed the plan.
It pointed to the policy’s significance in “strengthening” English farming resilience amid extreme weather events, supply chain disruption, and input cost volatility.
Adrian Steele, the co-chair of EOF and Soil Association Farming Advisor, said: “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 meet 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.”
