Scotland’s leading environment charities have called on the Scottish government to commit to doubling the area of organic farmland by the end of the 2026-31 parliamentary session.
Scottish Environment LINK, a coalition of more than 50 environment charities, says increasing organic farming can help farm businesses, reduce climate emissions, and help nature by cutting pesticide use.
Scotland saw seven years of growth in organic farming from 2018 to 2025, with more land in organic conversion in 2025 than in any year since 2002. Scottish government funding to support farmers to convert helped to increase the organic share of agricultural land from 1.8 percent in 2021 to 3.3 percent in 2025, just 0.3 percent short of the government’s target to double the share between 2021 and 2026.
But environment charities say Scotland would benefit more from organic farming with increased growth. Scotland lags behind the European Union average of 11 percent, and Ireland, whose agriculture is comparable to Scotland’s, has committed to reach 10 percent of land by 2030.
Demand for organic food across the UK continues to grow, and Scotland’s land conversion rate is faster than in other UK nations, thanks in part to the Scottish government’s Agri Environment and Climate Scheme which supports farmers to convert to organic.
Pete Ritchie, director of Nourish Scotland and convenor of Scottish Environment LINK’s food and farming group, said today:
“Scotland has a massive opportunity to build on the success of the last few years and continue to reap the benefits of organic farming. The demand is there, and farmers and crofters can boost their business resilience by going organic because they’ll be spending less on inputs and won’t be exposed to volatile global fertiliser markets.
“Organic food is good for people, and organic farming is great for nature since it doesn’t use pesticides which are a major cause of nature loss. It also helps tackle climate change by reducing fossil fuel-based inputs.
“Organic is a win-win and it’s in everyone’s interest that the Scottish government maintains its successful support policy and sets a new target to double organic land by 2031.”
David McKay, co-director at Soil Association Scotland and vice-convener of Scottish Environment LINK’s food and farming group, said:
“Scotland is already leading the way in the UK in growth in organic land, and this has been driven by consistent policy support and investment from the Scottish government.
“The target set in 2021 set a clear direction of travel and Scottish farmers and growers have responded. However, Scotland still lags behind the EU average of 11 percent organic land and neighbours like Ireland are demonstrating real ambition to go further.
“Organic delivers on a wide range of Scottish government policy objectives, and ongoing support should be viewed as a strategic measure to reduce exposure to volatile global markets for artificial fertilisers and feed.”
Featured Image: Soil Association