Consumers are changing their habits toward embracing more organic food. According to the latest Organic Statistics for 2020 report from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, farmers across the UK are following suit.
According the Soil Association Certification, which certifies more than 70% of all organic products sold in the UK, there has been a more than 11% increase in the conversion of land to become certified organic – and that increase has been seen for all but one of the past seven years.
Producebusinessuk.com quoted Soil Association Certification Senior Business Development Manager Sophie Kirk as saying: “We welcome these UK stats from DEFRA which demonstrate positive growth and confidence in the organic sector. The volume of land currently under conversion to organic with Soil Association Certification has grown even more rapidly – showing a 24% increase in the year to March 2021. The incentive for farmers to convert to organic is a direct response to: the significant and sustained growth in demand for organic produce through the pandemic; the availability of Government support for organic across some parts of the UK; the technological improvements in organics; and the growing interest amongst consumers and farmers for farming to provide more benefits for the environment and the climate.”
The lean toward organic arable farming, which rose 7% last year, isn’t just unique to the UK. Across Europe, farms are making the switch, pushed by the EU’s agricultural goal to be 25% organic by 2030.
