Food & Drink
Against the grain
Regenerative farming on this family Estate is supporting one of the world’s most sustainable distilleries.
5 January 2024
Main image: at Balcaskie Estate, Scotland around 1400ha of the farm is dedicated to livestock production, farmed organically; the conversion process started in 2016
This article first appeared in our Earth Day 2026 issue of My Green Pod Magazine. Click here to subscribe to our digital edition and get each issue delivered straight to your inbox
The theme for Earth Day 2026 is ‘Act Local, Think Global’, and I cannot think of anything more fitting as the UK approaches a crucial fork in the road for organic agriculture.
Supporting organic farming on our doorstep will help the UK to achieve its climate and nature goals, which will have the knock-on effect of mitigating climate change on a global scale.
We know organic is better for nature, with 30% more biodiversity on organic farms versus non-organic. Studies have shown that over time, organic farms also store more carbon in their soil, keeping it out of the atmosphere where it contributes to global warming.
In addition to the environmental benefits of organic farming, a recent report by a UK intelligence committee, in association with Defra, has also highlighted its importance to national security.
Currently, the UK is intertwined in a global system that relies on certain areas of the world – including the Amazon, the Congo Basin and mangrove forests in south-east Asia – for the production of most of its food and fertiliser. However, these areas are threatened with ecological collapse, partly as a result of intensive farming.
If the current rates of nature loss continue, food production in these areas will no longer be possible – and this poses a massive threat to food security in the UK. Certain foods will become scarce or no longer available at all, and prices will rise dramatically.
Organic agriculture presents a way to reverse nature loss, and demand for organically produced food in the UK remains high.
The latest figures, for 2025, show an overall growth in the organic market of 4.2%. The unit growth of organic sales in supermarkets is four times higher than that of non-organic.
Despite this, the UK is not growing enough of its own organic food to supply demand.
England is the only country in the UK to have no government support for organic conversion, and the latest figures from Defra show the overall percentage of UK organic farmland is stuck at 3%.
We rely on imports for much of our organic produce, which isn’t putting money into the pockets of British farmers. This dependence also leaves the UK vulnerable to the ever-changing headwinds in geopolitics and supply change disruption caused by extreme weather events.
For national security, food security and nature, we need to start producing more of our own organic food.
If the future of food security necessitates increased self-sufficiency – and we don’t want to experience ecosystem collapse – our agricultural system cannot be of the intensive type that has contributed to the devastation we’ve witnessed in regions that currently supply us.
Government support, in the form of funding and guidance, is required to support more British farmers in the conversion to organic.
The Scottish Government, which has control over Scottish agriculture as a devolved issue, has taken note of the positive opportunity organic agriculture brings.
In January 2026 Holyrood announced the Scottish Organic Action Plan, a three-year, £200,000-invested strategy aimed at expanding organic land, increasing production and boosting demand for Scottish organic products, plus support with strategic routes to market.
Prior to the plan’s launch, the Scottish Government’s commitment to doubling organic land saw a 13.2% increase in Scottish organic farmland in 2024. This reflects the fact that when there is clear government support – the missing element across the rest of the UK – more farmers will convert.
In December 2025, the International Society for Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR) presented evidence at the European Parliament. It showed that in Europe, organic agriculture generates nearly 4 million additional jobs on farms and across supply chains, relies 30–40% less on external inputs, keeps more processing and value-added activities in rural areas, attracts younger and more diverse talent and lowers public costs linked to water protection and soil degradation.
The ‘Bridging the Gap report’ released by Sustain in 2025 shows that for every £1.10 spent on organic by a consumer plus £1 in public investment, organic returns £8.78 in social and economic benefits, including £1.44 of local economic growth, £3.11 in health and wellbeing improvements, £3.94 in stronger communities and 29p in climate and nature gains.
The power is in our pockets to act local and think global. On Open Farm Sunday (07 June 2026), farms across the country will open their doors to the public for events and farm walks. This is your opportunity to see how your local farm is producing food, and many organic farms are going to be taking part.
As well as showing your support for your local organic farmer, you can find out how they are selling their organic produce and whether they have any local delivery schemes.
Discover local farms participating in Open Farm Sunday at farmsunday.org
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