National statistics

About these statistics

Published 9 May 2024

1. About organic farming statistics.

1.1 Contact deatails

Responsible statistician: Joshua Moatt
Email: organic-stats@defra.gov.uk
Media enquiries: 0330 041 6560
Public enquiries: 0845 601 3034

Room 202 Foss House
Kings Pool
1-2 Peasholme Green
York
YO1 7PX

1.2 Accredited official statistics

Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. An explanation can be found on the Office for Statistics Regulation website.

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

These accredited official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in 2014 (full assessment). They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled ‘accredited official statistics’.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards (see contact details above). Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

Since the latest review by the Office for Statistics Regulation, we have continued to comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics, and have made the following improvements:

• Providing a detailed breakdown of livestock categories following user feedback.

• Improved the data quality by updating guidance for data providers and carrying out enhanced validation checks on data received.

• Moved the data processing into a Reproducible Analytical Pipeline, the recommended methodology for all analytical processes.

1.3 Users and uses of these statistics

The information is heavily used by a broad range of people and organisations within the UK and also international organisations. The data is important to the government and the organic certification bodies in the UK, who provide the information used to compile the statistics, to formulate policies and provide support to organic farming. Other users include farming organisations, research bodies, and there is interest also from the general public

1.4 Feedback

We welcome feedback and any thoughts to improve the publication further, please send any feedback to organic-stats@defra.gov.uk.

2. Methodology

2.1 Organic farming statistics methodology

The organic farming statistical release contains summary results of data compiled by the UK Organic Certification Bodies. Each year, certifier bodies visit their registered farms to carry out annual inspections. During these inspections, certifiers record the crop areas and numbers of livestock present on the organic holding on that day. The data collected during these inspections are sent to Defra each February.

The information collated by Defra is checked thoroughly before the figures are presented in this statistical release. Data are checked against historical data for comparability and any unusual values are queried with the relevant certification bodies. Due to the nature of the inspections, the data are collected at varying times through the year. Therefore, the data presented here do not give an exact snapshot of organic farming at any specific time of year, so they should be treated with a degree of caution.

Defra is very grateful to the inspectors and members in the UK’s Organic Certification Bodies for the information collected in the annual returns each year.

2.2 Note

In the organic farming statistical release, unless specified otherwise, all figures include both in-conversion and fully organic holdings. Also, totals in this release are based on unrounded figures so may not agree with the sum of their components in the tables.

2.3 Organics overview

Only food that has been produced in accordance with organic standards by farmers/producers registered with an approved UK organic control body may be legally sold as ‘organic’ within the UK. The inputs and practices used in organic farming are strictly regulated in accordance with UK Regulations.

2.4 Key elements of organic farming systems

The main components of an organic farming system are the avoidance of artificial fertilisers and pesticides, and the use of crop rotations and other forms of husbandry to maintain soil fertility and control weeds, pests and diseases. Livestock also form an integral part of the majority of organic farms, although there are some successful stockless systems. Organic standards do not allow intensively housed stock or systems where a large amount of total feed has to be bought in. Pigs and poultry must be managed with extensive outdoor access under an organic system.

2.5 Conversion

In most cases, land must be managed organically for a minimum of two years (three years for top fruit orchards) before it is granted approved ‘organic’ status and is eligible for organic certification. Producers can then sell their produce as ‘organic’ and organic livestock breeding can commence.

2.6 Other relevant data sources

Data on agricultural crop areas and livestock numbers are collected through the annual June Survey of Agriculture. Results from this survey can be accessed at structure of the agricultural industry.