What Certifiers do and who they are:

The certifier is responsible for ensuring farms, distributors and packers adhere to organic principles. In most cases, these are standards over and above those required by law (see below). They regularly inspect the sites in question, and can withdraw their licence (or impose other sanctions) if serious infringements are found.

In return, the certifier offers advice and support for organic farming in the form of lobbying, events and information for both consumers and farmers.

The UK Register of Organic Food Standards (UKROFS) is the government body in charge of organic labelling. Only food produced according to its standards can be labelled 'organic' -- although some certifiers have stricter standards. Its requirements are tougher than EU organic standards, which are in turn in line with IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements). The UK's six organic certifiers of organic produce are:

Certifier Logo Address Comments
Standard
Organic Farmers and Growers Ltd (OF&G)


Church House
High Street
Soham
Ely
Cambridgeshire CB7 5HF
UK
Tel: +44 - 1353 - 720250

 The second-largest UK certifying body after the Soil Association.
UKROFS standards.
The Scottish Organic Producers Association. Milton of Cambus Farm
Doune
Perthshire FK16 6HG
Tel: 01786 841657
Fax: 01786 841657
Email: contact@sopa.demon.co.uk		   UKROFS standards.
Soil Association Certification (SA Cert).


Bristol House
40-56 Victoria Street
Bristol BS1 6BY
Tel: 01179 142400
Fax: 01179 252504
E-mail: info@soilassociation.org

The largest body, it certifies around 70% of UK-grown organic foods.

The SA allows its logo to be used on imports that meet its standards.

Stricter than UKROFS: hard line on wildlife preservation, GM cross-contamination and chicken-housing

Demeter (the Bio-Dynamic Agricultural Association, or BDAA)


Painswick Inn Project
Gloucester Street,
Stroud GL5 1QG
Tel/Fax: 01453 759501

Has certified bio-dynamic production since 1927

Demeter subscribes to the bio-dynamic philosophy of the relationship between man and universe.
Stricter rules than UKROFS.
The Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association (IOFGA)


56 Blessingham Street
Dublin 7
Ireland
Tel: 00 353 1830 7996
Email: iofga@tinet.ie

   
Higher standards than those of UKROFS.

You can also visit the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.


Back to the archive