Accredited official statistics

Chapter 12: Organics

Updated 22 July 2024

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Summary

In 2023:

  • 498 thousand hectares were farmed organically in the UK.

  • 60% of UK organic land was in England, 23% in Scotland, 15% in Wales and 1.4% in Northern Ireland.

  • Permanent pasture (including rough grazing) accounted for 62% of organic land in the UK, covering 307 thousand hectares.

  • 10% of organic land in the UK was used to grow cereals (50 thousand hectares).

  • 3.0% of cattle in the UK were reared organically.

  • There were a total of 5,230 organic operators in the UK.

Introduction

Organic farming is a method of farming that requires farmers to operate to a system based on ecological principles which impose strict limitations on the inputs that can be used, with the aim of minimising damage to the environment and wildlife. Emphasis is placed on natural methods of production and pest control.

All foods sold as organic must originate from growers, processors and importers who are registered with an approved certification body and subject to regular inspection. During these inspections, the crop areas and numbers of livestock present on the organic holding are recorded. Due to the nature of the inspections, the data are collected at varying times through the year. The data presented in this chapter therefore do not give an exact snapshot of organic farming at any specific time of year and this should be considered when interpreting the results.

Organic land area

Land area farmed organically

In 2023, the UK had a total area of 498 thousand hectares of land farmed organically, a decrease of 2.1% compared to 2022. The total area includes both the fully converted area and area under conversion.

Organic production comes from fully converted land, which is land that has undergone conversion to meet organic standards. In 2023, the UK had 462 thousand hectares of fully organic land. This represents a decrease of 1.3% from 2022.

Land in-conversion is discussed in detail in the land in-conversion section below.

Figure 12.1: Land area farmed organically (thousand hectares)

Enquiries: Josh Moatt on +44 (0)20 771 41913
Email: organic-stats@defra.gov.uk

Year In-conversion Fully organic Total
2014 19.7 529.0 548.6
2015 20.6 500.8 521.4
2016 25.2 482.7 507.9
2017 32.6 484.8 517.4
2018 32.9 441.1 474.0
2019 28.1 457.1 485.2
2020 31.3 457.6 489.0
2021 42.0 464.7 506.6
2022 40.3 468.3 508.6
2023 35.7 462.2 497.9

Notes:

  1. The colours for the fully organic (turquoise) and in-conversion (dark blue) bars have reversed compared to Agriculture in the UK 2022 - Chapter 12.

  2. Totals may differ to the sum of the components due to rounding.

Source: Defra organic farming statistics

Download the full Organics dataset

Table 12.1: Area farmed organically by country (thousand hectares)

Enquiries: Josh Moatt on +44 (0)20 771 41913
Email: organic-stats@defra.gov.uk

Country Area in-conversion Fully organic area Total organic area Total area on agricultural holdings at June Total organic area as % of June area
United Kingdom 35.7 462.2 497.9 17,140 2.9%
England 18.3 279.1 297.5 8,999 3.3%
Wales 4.2 72.6 76.9 1,768 4.3%
Scotland 13.1 103.5 116.6 5,331 2.2%
Northern Ireland 0.1 6.9 7.0 1,042 0.7%

Notes:

  1. Total land area on agricultural holdings at June. Excludes common land.

  2. Totals may differ to the sum of the components due to rounding.

Source: Defra organic farming statistics and June Survey of Agriculture as at 1 June 2023.

Download the full Organics dataset

Land in-conversion

Before an area can be considered as fully organic, it must undergo a conversion process. In 2023, the UK had 36 thousand hectares of land in-conversion. This constitutes a decrease of 11% from 2022.

The area in-conversion expressed as a percentage of the total organic area can give an indication of the potential growth in the organic sector. In 2023, land in-conversion made up 7.2% of the total organic land in the UK. This was a decrease of 0.8 percentage points from 2022.

Figure 12.2: Land in-conversion as a proportion of the total area farmed organically

Enquiries: Josh Moatt on +44 (0)20 771 41913
Email: organic-stats@defra.gov.uk

Source: Defra organic farming statistics.

Text description of Figure 12.2: Figure 12.2 shows the area of land in-conversion as a proportion of total land area farmed organically in the UK from 2002 to 2023. The percentage of land in-conversion in the UK peaked in 2002, with the lowest percentage occurring in 2014. Since 2021, the area of in-conversion land has fallen steadily year on year.

Download the full Organics dataset

Organic land use

Organic land use

Permanent pasture (including rough grazing) accounts for the biggest share of the organic area in the UK (62%), followed by temporary pasture (18%) and cereals (10%). The full breakdown of organic land use in the UK is shown in figure 12.3 and tables 12.2 and 12.3.

Figure 12.3: Organic land use (thousand hectares)

Enquiries: Josh Moatt on +44 (0)20 771 41913
Email: organic-stats@defra.gov.uk

Use Area
Permanent pasture (incl. rough grazing) 07.1
Temporary pasture 91.5
Cereals 50.3
Woodland 17.8
Other arable crops 11.0
Vegetables (incl. potatoes) 10.3
Unutilised & unknown 7.3
Fruit & nuts 2.2
Herbaceous & ornamentals 0.5

Notes:

  1. Some land areas are provided without a crop category or land use description, therefore these are classified as unknown.

Source: Defra organic farming statistics

Download the full Organics dataset

Table 12.2: Organic land use, 2020 to 2023 (thousand hectares)

Enquiries: Josh Moatt on +44 (0)20 771 41913
Email: organic-stats@defra.gov.uk

Use 2020 2021 2022 2023 Percentage change 2023/2022
Cereals 42.7 46.6 49.5 50.3 1.6%
Other arable crops 9.2 10.8 10.7 11.0 3.1%
Fruit & nuts 2.0 2.4 2.3 2.2 -2.2%
Vegetables (incl. potatoes) 9.5 9.8 10.3 10.3 -0.7%
Herbaceous & ornamentals 0.4 0.6 0.7 0.5 -27%
Temporary pasture 97.1 99.7 96.1 91.5 -4.8%
Permanent pasture (incl. rough grazing) 304.5 310.8 314.1 307.1 -2.2%
Woodland 16.0 17.4 17.3 17.8 2.8%
Unutilised land 2.8 3.3 3.2 3.2 -2.6%
Unknown 4.9 5.2 4.4 4.2 -5.1%
Total 489.0 506.6 508.6 497.9 -2.1%

Notes:

  1. Includes fully organic land and land in-conversion.

  2. Some land areas are provided without a crop category or land use description, therefore these are classified as unknown.

  3. Totals may differ to the sum of the components due to rounding.

Source: Defra organic farming statistics

Download the full Organics dataset

Table 12.3: Detailed fully organic and in-conversion land use (thousand hectares)

Enquiries: Josh Moatt on +44 (0)20 771 41913
Email: organic-stats@defra.gov.uk

Use Area in-conversion Fully organic area Total organic area Total area on agricultural holdings at June Total organic area as % of June area
Cereals 3.4 46.9 50.3 3,088 1.6%
Wheat 1.7 17.8 19.5 1,720 1.1%
Barley 1.0 6.2 7.2 1,137 0.6%
Oats 0.4 16.6 16.9 167 10%
Other cereals 0.3 6.4 6.7 65 10%
Other arable crops 1.1 9.9 11.0 1,168 0.9%
Sugar beet 0.0 0.3 0.3 99 0.3%
Fodder, forage and silage 0.9 8.8 9.8 94 10%
Maize, oilseeds & protein crops 0.2 0.8 0.9 974 0.1%
Fruit & nuts 0.3 2.0 2.2 32 7.0%
Vegetables 0.7 7.9 8.6 100 8.6%
Potatoes [low] 1.6 1.6 115 1.4%
Herbaceous & ornamentals [low] 0.5 0.5 10 4.6%
Temporary pasture 5.3 86.1 91.5 1,260 7.3%
Permanent pasture (excl. rough grazing) 16.6 226.3 242.9 6,074 4.0%
Rough grazing 6.7 57.5 64.2 3,655 1.8%
Woodland 1.2 16.5 17.8 948 1.9%
Unutilised land 0.2 3.0 3.2 [x] [x]
Unknown 0.1 4.1 4.2 [x] [x]
Total 35.7 462.2 497.9 [x] [x]

Notes:

  1. Total land area on agricultural holdings at June. Excludes common land.

  2. Some land areas are provided without a crop category or land use description, therefore these are classified as unknown.

  3. “[x]” indicates no comparable June survey data is available.

  4. “[low]” indicates a value that is greater than zero, but shows as zero due to rounding. See the accompanying dataset for the unrounded value.

  5. Totals may differ to the sum of the components due to rounding.

Source: Defra organic farming statistics and June Survey of Agriculture as at 1 June 2023.

Download the full Organics dataset

Organic crops

The three main crop types grown organically are cereals, other arable crops and vegetables (including potatoes). In the UK the area of organically grown cereal crops increased by 1.6% to 50 thousand hectares in 2023. Other arable crops increased by 3.1% to 11 thousand hectares. The area of organically grown vegetables (including potatoes) decreased by 0.7% to 10 thousand hectares in 2023.

Figure 12.4: Organic crops (thousand hectares)

Enquiries: Josh Moatt on +44 (0)20 771 41913
Email: organic-stats@defra.gov.uk

Notes:

  1. Includes fully organic land and land in-conversion.

Source: Defra organic farming statistics.

Text description of Figure 12.4: Figure 12.4 shows the area of land, in thousand hectares, used to organically farm cereals, other arable crops and vegetables (including potatoes) from 2002 to 2023. Cereals have the highest area of organic farming, which peaked in 2009. From this peak, the organic area used to farm cereals declined until 2018, since when it has increased steadily year on year. Other arable crops and vegetables (including potatoes) have had similar areas of organic farming throughout the time series. Other arable crops peaked in 2002 and vegetables peaked in 2008.

Download the full Organics dataset

Organic livestock

Table 12.4: Detailed organic livestock numbers (thousand head)

Enquiries: Josh Moatt on +44 (0)20 771 41913
Email: organic-stats@defra.gov.uk

Livestock Total organic livestock Total livestock at June Organic livestock as % of June livestock
Cattle 290 9,555 3.0%
For slaughter 129 3,754 3.4%
Dairy cows 51 3,228 1.6%
Other cattle 110 2,574 4.3%
Sheep 692 31,803 2.2%
Breeding females 370 15,438 2.4%
Other sheep 322 16,365 2.0%
Pigs 23 4,683 0.5%
Fattening pigs 15 4,255 0.4%
Breeding sows 2 338 0.6%
Other pigs 6 90 6.4%
Poultry 4,365 178,142 2.5%
Broilers 2,200 116,440 1.9%
Laying hens 2,021 41,073 4.9%
Other poultry 144 20,629 0.7%
Other livestock 8 [x] [x]
Farmed deer 6 39 14%
Goats 1 112 0.9%
Horses 1 215 0.6%
Others [low] [x] [x]

Notes:

  1. Data relates to fully organic only.

  2. “Others” include camelids and any livestock not recorded elsewhere.

  3. “[x]” indicates no comparable June survey data is available.

  4. “[low]” indicates a value that is greater than zero, but shows as zero due to rounding. See the accompanying dataset for the unrounded value.

  5. Totals may differ to the sum of the components due to rounding.

Source: Defra organic farming statistics, June Survey of Agriculture as at 1 June 2023 and the Cattle Tracing System for cattle populations.

Download the full Organics dataset

Organic cattle

In 2023, organically reared cattle numbers decreased by 2.8% to 290 thousand head. This represents 3.0% of the total herd in the UK.

Figure 12.5: Number of organic cattle (thousand head)

Enquiries: Josh Moatt on +44 (0)20 771 41913
Email: organic-stats@defra.gov.uk

Years For slaughter Dairy cows Other cattle Total
2016 98.7 81.4 116.4 296.4
2017 110.5 76.3 107.1 294.0
2018 116.1 88.3 119.7 324.1
2019 88.2 89.8 122.7 300.8
2020 122.0 60.0 121.8 303.9
2021 119.6 59.3 116.7 295.6
2022 122.3 57.4 119.0 298.6
2023 129.3 51.4 109.7 290.4

Notes:

  1. Data relates to fully organic only.

  2. Totals may differ to the sum of the components due to rounding.

Source: Defra organic farming statistics

Download the full Organics dataset

Organic sheep

The number of sheep reared organically decreased by 5.8% to 692 thousand head and accounted for 2.2% of the total flock in the UK.

Figure 12.6: Number of organic sheep (thousand head)

Enquiries: Josh Moatt on +44 (0)20 771 41913
Email: organic-stats@defra.gov.uk

Years Breeding females Other sheep Total
2016 431.2 409.6 840.8
2017 462.1 424.9 887.0
2018 446.6 380.0 826.6
2019 389.7 392.5 782.2
2020 399.6 331.7 731.2
2021 393.3 330.3 723.6
2022 385.1 349.4 734.4
2023 370.0 322.0 692.0

Notes:

  1. Data relates to fully organic only.

  2. Totals may differ to the sum of the components due to rounding.

Source: Defra organic farming statistics.

Download the full Organics dataset

Organic pigs

The number of pigs reared organically decreased by 34% to 23 thousand head and accounted for 0.5% of the total pig herd in the UK.

Figure 12.7: Number of organic pigs (thousand head)

Enquiries: Josh Moatt on +44 (0)20 771 41913
Email: organic-stats@defra.gov.uk

Years Fattening pigs Breeding sows Other pigs Total
2016 21.5 4.3 5.7 31.5
2017 25.2 5.2 8.7 39.1
2018 21.3 3.8 12.3 37.4
2019 20.6 3.4 9.9 34.0
2020 16.3 1.6 9.3 27.2
2021 21.3 2.9 7.8 32.1
2022 22.5 3.4 9.1 35.0
2023 15.3 2.0 5.7 22.9

Notes:

  1. Data relates to fully organic only.

  2. Totals may differ to the sum of the components due to rounding.

Source: Defra organic farming statistics

Download the full Organics dataset

Organic poultry

Organically reared poultry numbers increased by 19% to 4,365 thousand birds and accounted for 2.5% of the total UK population.

Figure 12.8: Number of organic poultry (thousand birds)

Enquiries: Josh Moatt on +44 (0)20 771 41913
Email: organic-stats@defra.gov.uk

Years Broilers Laying hens Other poultry Total
2016 1,574 1,135 112 2,821
2017 1,725 1,239 95 3,060
2018 1,879 1,413 89 3,381
2019 1,768 1,584 112 3,464
2020 1,708 1,981 97 3,786
2021 1,910 2,015 96 4,021
2022 1,577 2,005 83 3,665
2023 2,200 2,021 144 4,365

Notes:

  1. Data relates to fully organic only.

  2. Totals may differ to the sum of the components due to rounding.

Source: Defra organic farming statistics

Download the full Organics dataset

Organic operators

In 2023, there were 5,230 producers and processors registered with the organic certification bodies in the UK, a decrease of 4.8% from 2022.

Figure 12.9: Organic operators by type

Enquiries: Josh Moatt on +44 (0)20 771 41913
Email: organic-stats@defra.gov.uk

Years Producers Producers & Processors Processors Total
2014 3,521 174 2,307 6,002
2015 3,429 173 2,454 6,056
2016 3,398 161 2,804 6,363
2017 3,465 144 2,977 6,586
2018 3,483 136 2,569 6,188
2019 3,494 123 2,512 6,129
2020 3,407 197 2,150 5,754
2021 3,401 205 2,126 5,732
2022 3,285 223 1,988 5,496
2023 3,193 223 1,814 5,230

Notes:

  1. Processors can include abattoirs, bakers, storers and wholesalers. The recorded location depends on the address registered with the Certifier Bodies and so larger businesses may be recorded at their headquarters.

  2. In 2018 work was carried out to clarify how operators were recorded. This resulted in a number of operators that were previously recorded as processors being recorded in the correct categories of wholesalers/traders/retailers etc. We were unable to backdate these changes so earlier data are not directly comparable.

  3. In 2020 work was carried out by some control bodies to group existing operators together, so they effectively became ‘one operator’ whilst previously they may have been separate operators with separate licences.

  4. The colours for Producers & Processors (turquoise) and Processors (purple) bars have reversed compared to Agriculture in the UK 2022 - Chapter 12.

Source: Defra organic farming statistics

Download the full Organics dataset

Table 12.5: Number of organic operators by type and country

Enquiries: Josh Moatt on +44 (0)20 771 41913
Email: organic-stats@defra.gov.uk

Country Number of producers only Number of producers and processors Number of processors only Total organic producers and processors
United Kingdom 3,193 223 1,814 5,230
England 2,133 174 1,575 3,882
Wales 535 27 77 639
Scotland 379 15 127 521
Northern Ireland 146 7 35 188

Notes:

  1. Processors can include abattoirs, bakers, storers and wholesalers. The recorded location depends on the address registered with the Certifier Bodies and so larger businesses may be recorded at their headquarters.

Source: Defra organic farming statistics

Download the full Organics dataset

Table 12.6: Number of organic operators by country, 2020 to 2023

Enquiries: Josh Moatt on +44 (0)20 771 41913
Email: organic-stats@defra.gov.uk

Country 2020 2021 2022 2023 Percentage change 2023/2022
United Kingdom 5,754 5,732 5,496 5,230 -4.8%
England 4,307 4,296 4,103 3,882 -5.4%
Wales 701 693 663 639 -3.6%
Scotland 541 529 528 521 -1.3%
Northern Ireland 205 214 202 188 -6.9%

Notes:

  1. In 2020 work was carried out by some control bodies to group existing operators together, so they effectively became ‘one operator’ whilst previously they may have been separate operators with separate licences.

Source: Defra organic farming statistics.

Download the full Organics dataset

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