Area of Organic Farmland Doubles

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Tuesday, 29 October 2002

The area of organic land in the United Kingdom has almost doubled in the last year and sales of organic food are the second highest in Europe. These are the findings from a recent report by the Soil Association.

The area of fully organic land is equivalent to three times the size of Greater London (having increased from 240,000 hectares to 458,600 hectares). Almost 80 per cent of households buy organic food, spending around pounds 920 million.

There are now nearly 4,000 licensed organic farms throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The south-west of England remains the most popular region, and is home to more than a quarter of all organic farms.

"This is an exciting time for the organic movement - and the organic market is one of the fastest-growing areas of the UK food and drink sector," said Patrick Holden, the Soil Association's Director.

"The majority of households now buy organic food; all the leading supermarkets see organic food as a major growth area and, in the last year, has been given crucial backing from the Government."

"The challenge ahead is to encourage consumers and retailers to increase their support for UK farmers by choosing home-produced organic food wherever possible."

Source: Soil Association via Organic Monitor: www.organicmonitor.com