The government has announced a strategy aimed at expanding organic agriculture across England, setting a target of 10% of agricultural land under organic management within the next decade. Currently, only 3.4% of English farmland operates under organic certification, placing the nation among Europe’s lower performers in this category. By comparison, France already achieves 10.4% organic farmland and has set aspirations to reach 18% by 2027.
The newly released plan, developed over more than three years, emphasizes several pathways for sector growth. Public procurement in institutions such as schools and hospitals has been identified as a major opportunity, aligning with the government’s existing target for 10% of public sector food spending to meet elevated environmental production standards. Environment Secretary Angela Eagle described the initiative as an effort to broaden access and encourage both established organic producers and conventional farmers considering the transition.
Industry stakeholders have expressed qualified support but raised significant questions about implementation and funding. Riverford’s chief executive noted that public procurement systems present barriers for smaller organic operations and stressed the need for reliable government grant support. The Soil Association’s farming policy head indicated that recent discussions with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs involved compromises, and called for renewed access to the Sustainable Farming Incentive program, which exhausted its 2026 allocation within hours this past September.
Leaders across the farming sector emphasized that government funding alone cannot achieve the transition. Representatives from the Nature Friendly Farming Network and the National Farmers’ Union highlighted the importance of private sector investment, improved farmer compensation, and strengthened domestic markets. The union also stressed potential benefits for food supply chain resilience and reduced import dependency.
Organically managed farms have demonstrated greater resilience during recent challenging conditions marked by extreme weather and elevated input costs. Industry analysts have suggested that expanded organic production could eventually reduce consumer prices as the sector achieves greater scale and mainstream market penetration.
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