Soil Association

BOOMs are back: entries now open!🥳 Enter in the Best of Organic Market (BOOM) Awards, the UK's only awards that recognise and celebrate the organic industry. These awards are designed for everyone championing the organic industry, with new and improved categories 🏆 What’s more, we're thrilled to announce our headline sponsor is Ocado Retail with exciting benefits for BOOMs entrants: 🤝 A chance to be introduced to the Ocado buying and Roots teams 🏅 Free entry to the ‘Ocado Roots’ awards There are so many benefits to entering the #BOOMAwards, whether it's organic sector recognition, or showcasing your products as the best in the organic market 🛒. Act quickly! Early Bird entries get a 10% discount to enter throughout the whole month of December 🐓 Find out how to enter: https://lnkd.in/e4yeJ35b Thank you to our sponsors English Tea Shop, Robin Appel Ltd, Abel & Cole | B Corp™, RBOrganic Ltd and to our partner Ocado Retail for helping us celebrate the best of organic! #BOOMAwards #Organic

At the end of a difficult couple of weeks for farmers, our Head of Farming and Land Use Policy, Gareth Morgan, reflects on how the Westminster government finally responded to the cries of anguish from farmers at the rally in London and their ongoing discontent. https://lnkd.in/em_vcTQp

Lets talk trees and farming! First call out for Session Proposals is Live – deadline 20th December 2024 The first Agroforestry Show, organised by Soil Association and Woodland Trust in 2023, provided a dynamic space for knowledge sharing and networking for over 1,350 attendees. Building on this momentum, the 2025 show will be even more inspiring, informative, and entertaining. If you would like to be a part of it, now is the time to submit proposals from all corners of the agroforestry movement—spanning farming, forestry, arboriculture, horticulture, research, policy, and allied industries. Rather than starting from scratch, there’s a curated a list of priority topics as inspiration for the 2025 show. You can also submit new ideas for sessions, farm walks and practical demonstrations. Priority Topics for 2025 • Getting Started & Case Studies • Forestry and Timber • Species and Design • Public Good and Ecosystem Services • Silvoarable, Silvohorticulture and Silvopasture Systems • Policy, Markets, and Financial Models • Restoring and Reconnecting Landscapes, including urban and peri urban agroforestry For more information on these themes please visit the show web page – https://lnkd.in/eEJav2jK To submit a proposal, or express interest as a speaker please complete this form https://lnkd.in/e94bAAYV

Senior Responsible Sourcing Manager Maggie FitzHerbert unpacks the latest developments in EUDR from the vote in Brussels two weeks ago, including the 12-month delay and introduction of a controversial “zero risk” category, and what these amendments could mean for businesses. Read Maggie’s expert analysis here: 👉https://lnkd.in/ecK-E3rj #EUDR #DeforestationFree #Sustainability #ResponsibleSourcing

Less than a week to go until the Organic World Congress #OWC2024 and IFOAM - Organics International General Assembly! Excited to meet people from all walks of life and all corners of the global #organic community. Particularly looking forward to hearing from the speakers and audience in some sessions I’m involved with: 💥Organic and Regenerative pre-conference💥– mobilising the organic movement to a unified position on organic’s relationship with #regenerative, and how we meet the challenges and opportunities of emerging reporting frameworks in a coordinated and meaningful way. ⚖️ Putting Principles into Practice through standards⚖️ – hearing some great examples of how the four organic principles of #health, #ecology, #fairness and #care are coming to life through standards in different parts of the world, and the role if IFOAM Norms to be an organic blueprint for emerging regulations. ✅ Organic standards and certification in the context of new sustainability reporting initiatives ✅– sharing how the organic movement can and should respond to the rapidly evolving landscape of corporate disclosure frameworks, discussing how to ensure the holistic approach of organic farming is properly recognised in existing methodologies, and exploring how to evolve standards and certification systems to better align with industry reporting requirements. 🌏 Embarking on our journey 🌏 – IFOAM Strategy 2023-2034 – alongside my fellow World Board members, I’ll be explaining IFOAM’s strategic plans, particularly in relation to  global leadership of the organic movement and the role we can play in service of the great initiatives and developments happening around the world. 💚 …Finally, at the end of the week, I’ll be standing for a second term on the World Board💚 After a turbulent 3 years working alongside my fellow board members and staff to get the organisation back on track, I’d love the chance to put our strategy into practice and keep the momentum going on some of the critical issues and opportunities that the sector faces, particularly in relation to standards and certification. Good luck to all the candidates! https://owc.ifoam.bio/ IFOAM - Organics International IFOAM Organics Europe Soil Association IOAS INC CSQA Certificazioni ICEA Istituto Certificazioni Etiche e Ambientali Bioland e.V. Tia Loftsgard Canada Organic Trade Association Organic Trade Association The Organic Center INOFO - Global Rodale Institute Marco Schlüter Paul Holmbeck Shamika Mone karen Mapusua Fortunate Nyakanda Julia Lernoud James Cashmore Lisa Ketzer Hanna W.

We’re excited to announce an opportunity to join our team as a Partnerships Manager for our Beauty & Wellbeing and Textiles certification schemes. This is a fantastic chance to work with passionate, forward-thinking businesses and advocate for sustainable production systems that support the health of wildlife, nature, and people. 💼 Salary: £36,000 - £37,650 📍 Location: Bristol with hybrid working (40% office-based) ⏱ Hours: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week In this role, you’ll work closely with dynamic certified businesses to promote systems that create a positive impact. We’re looking for someone with: ✨ Experience in the beauty & wellbeing and/or textiles industries ✨ A passion for building partnerships and advocating for sustainability ✨ Strategic thinking and business development expertise If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you! 👉 Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/ecqHitJk We can’t wait to welcome someone who shares our passion for making a real difference. 🌍💚

How can we make organic more accessible to all? A recent Wicked Leeks article explores how organic farming is key to sustainability and reducing taxpayer costs, yet in the UK, it’s often seen as a luxury. This perception overshadows the reality, as England’s organic market is supported by small producers and conscious shoppers with modest budgets. Affordability is a key barrier, with 64% of English shoppers citing cost concerns. Matt Chittock says 'the price premium for organic is also a political choice' Across Europe, governments reduce this gap by subsidizing organic production, linking sustainability with public health, food security, and quality. The Bridging the Gap program led by Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming, Growing Communities and Alexandra Rose Charity is piloting innovative ways to make organic food accessible to low-income households across the UK. A report on the Tower Hamlets Food Co-ops pilot shows how financial support can deliver both climate and health benefits. The initiative has enabled many families to afford organic for the first time, spending an average of £8 on organic produce instead of non-organic. Farmers benefit too, earning 84% of revenue through shorter, farmer-focused supply chains. This is a great example of our Organic for All vision in action and shows how collaboration can help to make organic more affordable, accessible and available. 📖 Read more: Wicked Leeks article: https://lnkd.in/eu9A2UiR Bridging the Gap article: https://lnkd.in/evMFCRy7 #OrganicForAll #Organic #Sustainability

🌱 A positive step for organic farming in Scotland! 🌱 It was fantastic to hear the First Minister in his speech at AgriScot highlight the crucial role of organic farming in Scotland’s agricultural future. John Swinney MSP described organic as being "in tune with nature" - echoing similar comments from Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie at the SOPA conference earlier this month. It’s encouraging to see the The Scottish Government leading the way in the UK, with continued support through the Agri Environment Climate Scheme and investment in the Food for Life Scotland programme. We’re hopeful that this momentum will carry through into December’s Budget, with a dedicated commitment to a new Organic Action Plan. Let’s keep building a more sustainable future together! 🌍💚 #OrganicActionPlan #OrganicFarming #ScottishFarming https://lnkd.in/e8vty_WS

Have your say in shaping the future of organic certification with our 2024 Organic Market Survey! As the year draws to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect and gather valuable industry insights. We’d love to hear about your business and your experience with Soil Association Certification. Your feedback help us better support you and the organic sector. To thank you for your time, every completed survey enters a prize draw to win one of five organic hampers. Plus, your responses will contribute to our 2025 Organic Market Report—a must-read for the industry—due out in February. ✍The survey closes on Thursday 21st November. https://lnkd.in/e9rJ_zhV #OrganicCertification #ClientFeedback #SoilAssociation #OrganicMarketReport

👏 We welcome the new guidance from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) on #regenerativefarming claims for brands and advertisers, which puts the interests of consumers first. https://lnkd.in/e9ztDuVk Our Director of Standards Innovation, Sarah Compson, reflects further here 👇