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Organic farming in the UK - statistics & facts

Organic farming methods have been on the rise in Europe since the mid-90s. Around 17.8 million hectares of organic farmland existed in Europe in 2020. Organic farming is characterized by the use of fertilizers that are organically produced. The number one fertilizer used in organic farming in the UK is cattle farmyard manure, followed by cattle slurry. It is also not uncommon that organic farming is done without fertilizers and methods such as crop rotation are utilized instead. The UK is among the ten largest organic food markets worldwide, based on revenue generated. However, it is not among the ten countries with the largest organic farmland area.

Land used for organic farming

The total area used in the UK for organic farming amounted to 468,300 hectares. This area is significanty smaller than organic farmland area in previous years. Land used in the UK is just barely more than a fifth of the organic farmland of France, and is smaller than many other European countries' organic farmlands. Approximately 286,000 hectares are used for permanent pastures, while other areas are temporary farmland, used for woodlands, unutilized, or in conversion to become organic land.

Forms of use and livestock

In the UK, about 46,000 hectares of land are used for organic cereal crops. Vegetable crops, such as potatoes, accounted for around 9,700 hectares of organic land used. Besides different forms of crops, organic farming also extends to livestock. Hundreds of thousands of animals are considered organic sheep or cattle. While the number of organic sheep in the UK only comes up to about 734,000, the number of chickens considered organic amounts to over 3.6 million.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Apr 15, 2024

Key insights

Organic food revenue in the UK
3.4bn EUR
Organic agricultural land in the UK
491.3k ha
Number of organic producers in the UK
3,581
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Land area for organic farming in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2022*, by region (in 1,000 hectares)

Organic

Organic farming area in the United Kingdom (UK) 2022, by region

Usage of organic fertilizer by farmers in Great Britain (GB) in 2022

Agricultural Chemistry

Organic fertilizer usage rates on farms in Great Britain 2022

Number of organic producers in Europe in 2022, by country

Organic & Health Food

Number of organic producers in Europe 2022, by country

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