SALES OF organic food in the UK are now worth £2.79 billion a year, following a whopping 12.6% growth under 2020's extraordinary market conditions.

The Soil Association's latest Organic Market Report revealed that the market has reached its highest growth rate in 15 years, way outperforming the non-organic sector. During 2020 more than £50m per week was spent on organic food and drink, as shopping needs and habits changed dramatically due to the pandemic. The report found that that online and home delivery sales fuelled much of the growth, with those sales increasing by 36.2%, meaning that channel to market now accounts for almost 25% of total organic sales.

Overall, sales of organic items in supermarkets increased by 12.5%, with many categories showing growth over 20%.

Senior business development manager at Soil Association Certification, Sophie Kirk, said: “The unprecedented crisis of 2020 has brought immense challenges for organic farmers and the entire food supply chain. So it’s heartening that in times of crisis, more people are supporting homegrown organic produce, with many British organic products such as eggs, cheese, carrots, beef and lamb benefitting from strong sales growth through supermarkets this year.

"Online organic sales through box schemes and home delivery services have seen stand out growth of 36.2%, with many organic businesses expanding their online and direct to consumer sales.

"Alongside this many organic producers are selling direct to the public, playing to their key strengths of promoting British sourcing and sustainability. With the organic market growing faster than ever and expected to reach £2.9 billion by the end of 2021, there are opportunities for UK organic farmers looking to meet growing consumer demand for sustainable, British food and drink, with support available for organic farming through the Scottish Government’s Agri-Environment Climate Scheme 2021. Continued support for organic farming is vital to a green recovery, that will deliver on Scotland’s rightly ambitious climate and environmental targets.”

Within the figures for organic supermarket sales, the categories on the up included produce, which grew by 15.5%; meat, fish and poultry, which grew by 16.8%; and dairy which grew by 7.7%. Key organic products that have seen positive sales growth include eggs at 17.2%, beef and 30.9% and carrots at 17.2%.

Wilma Finlay, managing director at the Ethical Dairy in Castle Douglas – the first commercial dairy in the UK to be following the cow with calf method – commented: “We converted our 350ha dairy farm to organic 20 years ago as part of a long-term project to make our farm more resilient whilst treating land, animals and people with respect. We’ve cut out fertilisers, vaccines and antibiotics, and moved to a 100% pasture based, cow with calf dairy system and have seen huge benefits for animal welfare, soil health and biodiversity.

"Four years ago we started processing and selling our own cheese and in 2020 we saw a strong surge in demand for our products, significantly increasing the amount of product sold directly to customers with home delivery accounting for 80% of our business sales," reported Mrs Findlay. "The majority of our market are based in London and we use social media to connect directly with our customers and engage them with our farm story. We are positive about 2021 and will focus on online sales alongside retail.”