Riverford Organic Farmers
Published today, the Organic Action Plan for England (OAPE) sets out how government and the organic sector will work together from 2026 to 2036 and beyond, to grow domestic production, improve market opportunities and help more people understand what organic farming offers.
Publication of the plan is the next step in the delivery of government’s ‘Farming Roadmap 2050: Growing England’s Future’. The Farming Roadmap acknowledges the vital role that organic systems play in improving soil health, cutting chemical and synthetic inputs, and supporting biodiversity.
Organic farming is a whole-farm approach that can help farm businesses reduce their exposure to input costs, such as artificial fertiliser and pesticides, and reach markets where demand is growing.
It can also support healthier soils, cleaner water, more wildlife and high standards of animal welfare.
Defra-funded research shows strong links between organic farming and benefits for biodiversity, soil health and reduced chemical exposure. It also shows how organic systems can support climate adaptation.
Consumer demand for organic products continues to grow. UK organic retail sales reached £3.9 billion in 2025. The plan aims to support English farmers to fulfil a greater share of this growing market, with an ambition to increase the proportion of agricultural land farmed organically from around 3.4% towards 10% by 2036.
Organic food plays an important role in public procurement. Produce qualifies under the Higher Environmental Production Standards within the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services. Programmes such as Food for Life Served Here show what can already be achieved, with 22 catering providers spending £7.5 million on organic produce in 2024.
There’s a strong opportunity for English farmers, growers and food businesses to expand domestic production.
In this post, we look at how government and industry action - aligned with the themes and outcomes in the plan - will help encourage more farmers to convert to an organic farming system.
Purpose of the planDefra has collaborated with the English Organic Forum (EOF), a group of organic organisations that work together to represent the sector, to develop a plan that responds to the sector’s needs, with direct input from organic producers and sector leaders across the country. Defra and the EOF will jointly oversee its delivery.
The plan is primarily focused on England, but some actions will involve partners across the UK. It's a 10-year plan but includes action that will stretch beyond 2036.
The OAPE recognises that organic farming is not the right choice for every farm but, for some businesses, organic production can offer a stronger route to market and lower exposure to some input costs.
The plan sets out a clear pathway to grow England's organic sector and create more opportunities across the supply chain.
For farmers and growers, it aims to provide better access to information, advice, innovation and peer support, making it easier to start or expand organic production.
For businesses, it seeks to improve understanding of where domestic supply can meet demand, helping producers, processors and buyers identify new market opportunities.
For consumers and public sector buyers, it aims to increase awareness of organic certification and encourage greater uptake of English organic produce.
What this means for farmers and growersThe plan is designed to sit alongside existing agri-environment schemes (AES). Since 2024, the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) has included options for organic conversion and maintenance. As committed in the first year of the plan, Defra will maintain and clearly explain the organic offer within Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes for farmers considering organic conversion.
In order to grow organic production, the OAPE focuses on actions that break down other barriers to farmers converting to an organic farming system. This includes access to information, advice, peer networks, markets and supply chains.
The English Organic Forum and the wider sector will build on existing services so farmers considering conversion can find information on certification, funding, business planning and routes to market.
The sector will also work to provide one-to-one guidance and learning between farmers.
Further work will identify opportunities in horticulture, arable, dairy, red meat and poultry. Opportunities will be underpinned by better data on organic production, trade and purchasing, so farm businesses can make decisions using clearer evidence.
Case studiesWe have spoken with two farm businesses about their experiences of working within an organic farming system:
Riverford Organic FarmersRiverford Organic Farmers began in 1986. Guy Singh-Watson started growing organic vegetables on three acres at Wash Farm in Devon. The company has since grown from the UK’s first organic veg box into a business with over £100m annual turnover, delivering directly to around 70,000 customers each week.
They became employee-owned in 2018, with 100% of the business now held in an Employee Trust for the equal benefit of its approximately 1,000 employees.
Certified organic since 1989, they grow and sell food without artificial pesticides or fertilisers, GM ingredients, routine antibiotics, or artificial preservatives and colours.
Organic farming supports Riverford’s long-term resilience. Improving soil fertility, biodiversity, carbon and water storage helps the farm cope with increasing floods and drought and maintains productivity levels. It also underpins the business’s commercial identity, giving customers confidence that their food is produced to clear, trusted and independently certified organic standards.
Riverford’s principal route to market is its organic box scheme, with 70% of box contents grown in the UK and produce delivered directly from farm to customer.
The business has long-term partnerships with growers across the country, supported through its Supplier Charter, which commits to agreed prices and volumes, accepts cosmetically imperfect produce and promotes collaborative solutions when crops vary.
Riverford also works with their farmers to assess and improve performance across soil health, water, biodiversity, carbon, animal welfare and social impact.
Shimpling Park FarmShimpling Park Farm, owned and run by John, Alice and Rufus Pawsey, is a 700-hectare mixed organic farm near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, managed as a whole-farm organic system and certified by the Soil Association.
The farm grows combinable crops including milling oats, spelt, heritage wheat, quinoa, chia and lentils, alongside herbal and fertility leys. Around 200 New Zealand Romney sheep graze two-year grass-and-clover leys, integrating livestock with the arable rotation.
The organic mixed-farming system links crops, leys and livestock to build fertility and reduce reliance on external inputs. Grass, clover, legumes and herbal leys support soil health and biodiversity, while sheep turn forage into a saleable product and contribute to the rotation. As part of their system, roughly 90 hectares of leguminous and herbal leys help build soil health, biodiversity and nature.
On-farm trials also help the business identify practical approaches that can maintain yields while strengthening nature and long-term resilience. The team trials different seed rates, weed and disease controls, bi-cropping, green manures and undersowing to improve crop production while enhancing the environment.
A diverse crop base, local flour milling, building rentals and other activities provide diversified income streams.
The Shimpling team have an open and collaborative approach welcoming many people to their farm for wider connection and learning.
The farm uses Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship scheme funding to focus on landscape restoration, farmland birds and education. It is also participating in a Landscape Recovery pilot through the Suffolk Wool Towns cluster, which aims to connect ancient and secondary woodlands across 20,000 hectares. Earlier Countryside Stewardship funding supported pond restoration, the restoration of two medieval moated sites and medieval wood pasture, hedge replanting, and coppicing of ancient woodland.
Stay up to dateRead the Organic Action Plan for England to see the full actions and timescales.
We’ll continue to work closely with the organic sector as the plan progresses and share further updates on the Farming Blog.
We’ll also post a blog about future funding opportunities for farmers to convert to an organic farming system.
Subscribe to the blog to receive an email notification whenever we publish a new post.
https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2026/10/14/organic-action-plan-for-england-published-today/
seen at 11:02, 14 October in Farming.