Let's get the awkward bit out of the way first: the Organic Action Plan for England, published on 14 October, does not bring any new money. The financial support for converting to organic is still the organic actions in the Sustainable Farming Incentive, and the plan says so itself. What it sets out is a 10-year programme, run by Defra with the English Organic Forum, to deal with the things that payments alone have not fixed: not knowing what conversion involves, nobody to ask, and no clear route to a buyer. Every figure below is from the plan and Defra's blog post.
The numbers behind it
- Organic farming is around 3.4% of England's farmed area. The plan's ambition is to move that towards 10% by 2036.
- England has 301,000 hectares of organic land, the largest area of any UK nation. But it grew by only 1.5% on 2024, against 7.3% for the UK as a whole, and it has stayed between 289,000 and 324,000 hectares since 2012.
- UK organic retail sales reached £3.9 billion in 2025. The plan says more and more of that demand is met by imports, and the trade gap is widest in horticulture.
The plan names the barriers plainly: farmers lack clear, practical information on what conversion entails, what support exists and what markets they could reach, and certification costs, the conversion period and uncertain prices all put people off. It also says, in Defra's words, that organic farming "is not the right choice for every farm".
So what does it actually pay for?
Nothing new. The money already on the table is in SFI26, at these rates (from GOV.UK's SFI26 actions):
- Conversion, per hectare per year: unimproved permanent grassland (OFC2) £96; improved permanent grassland (OFC1) £187; rotational land (OFC3) £298; horticultural land (OFC4) £874; top fruit (OFC5) £1,920.
- Organic land management once converted, per hectare per year: improved permanent grassland (OFM1) £20; unimproved permanent grassland (OFM2) £41; enclosed rough grazing (OFM3) £97; rotational land (OFM4) £132; horticultural land (OFM5) £707; top fruit (OFM6) £1,920.
- How long: the conversion actions run one year at a time, for a maximum of 2 consecutive years (3 for top fruit). The management actions are 3-year commitments.
The plan also mentions organic options in Countryside Stewardship. On SFI, it says Defra will "keep the SFI organic offer under review" and consider refinements so that conversion and management are "supported at an appropriate level". No change to the rates has been announced.
One honest note on timing: both SFI26 application windows have closed, and no date for the next one has been published. Defra has said it is exploring alternatives to first come, first served for SFI in 2027. All the actions, with what each one asks you to do, are on our SFI26 page.
What the plan promises in its first year
- A clear organic offer in the land management schemes: Defra will keep a well-defined organic offer within Environmental Land Management and explain it clearly to current and potential organic farmers.
- One place to look things up: the English Organic Forum and the sector will build signposting for anyone considering conversion, covering certification requirements, scheme eligibility, financial modelling tools, routes to market and case studies.
- Someone to talk it through with: one-to-one guidance through the conversion, using existing advisory services and farmer-to-farmer learning, and possibly groups set up under the Farmer Collaboration Fund. Sectors that rely most on imports come first.
Later, in years 2 to 4, the plan promises growth work for horticulture, arable, dairy, red meat and poultry. From year 5 it turns to innovation support, including grants "where applicable", with small-scale processing, abattoir capacity, local markets and supply chain digitalisation named as priorities.
Where the buyers might come from
Public sector catering is one of the plan's levers. The Government Buying Standards set a long-term ambition for 10% of public sector food spend to meet higher environmental production standards, and organic produce qualifies. The plan aims for a sustained increase in the share of organic food in public sector purchasing. It quotes the Food for Life Served Here programme, where caterers spent £7.5 million on organic produce in 2024.
Sources
- Defra — Organic Action Plan for England (14 October 2026)
- Defra Farming blog — Organic Action Plan for England published today (14 October 2026)
- GOV.UK — SFI26 actions (OFC1–OFC5 and OFM1–OFM6 rates and durations)
This is a summary of what Defra has published, not advice. Whether conversion suits a farm depends on the farm; the plan's own signposting and an adviser are the place to start that conversation.