Organic Farmers & Growers

What Organic Farmers & Growers does

Organic Farmers & Growers (OF&G) is a Community Interest Company (CIC) headquartered in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and the longest-established Defra-approved organic control body in the United Kingdom, with operations dating back over 40 years. The company is the largest certifier of UK organic land, certifying over 50% of the country's organic acreage, and operates a dedicated Scotland division. OF&G provides a portfolio of legally binding certification services spanning organic production, processing, approved inputs, compost, biodynamic (BCS), Pasture for Life, Woodland Carbon Code, and Peatland Code standards, delivered through annual audits and compliance verification against UK and international organic production rules.

OF&G generates revenue primarily through recurring annual certification fees charged to a broad base of licensees — organic farmers, growers, processors, manufacturers, and retailers — with pricing structured on a quote/annual subscription basis that is not publicly disclosed. The business is complemented by value-added services including an online producers directory, technical newsletters, a classifieds marketplace, the annual National Organic Conference, and the BASIS Foundation Award for Organic Farming. Supporting infrastructure includes the bioC Directory (linking to approximately 70,000 certified organic operators for cross-verification), partnerships with the Soil Association, Organic Research Centre, Organic Trade Board, Welsh Lamb and Beef Producers, Woodland Trust, Innovation for Agriculture, and Harper Adams University, and a leadership team headed by CEO Steve Clarkson (appointed permanently in 2025 after serving as interim CEO since April 2024) and Chairman Richard Thompson. As a CIC, OF&G is structured for community benefit rather than profit distribution, which constrains capital raising but aligns the entity with sector-wide advocacy on UK organic policy.

Name

Organic Farmers & Growers

Legal name

Organic Farmers & Growers CIC

Website

https://ofgorganic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Organic Farmers & Growers is the UK's longest-established Defra-approved organic control body and Community Interest Company, certifying over 50% of UK organic land and providing recurring annual certification services to organic farmers, growers, and food businesses across the United Kingdom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Certification Services

akta.pro primary industry

Organic Certification Services (AFALAMAA)

Keywords

• Organic certification services
• Agricultural compliance
• Food certification body
• Organic farming standards
• Carbon scheme certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Shrewsbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Organic Certification Fees: OF&G generates revenue through certification fees for organic farmers, growers, and food businesses. As a Community Interest Company (CIC) with over 40 years experience, they provide certification services across the UK organic sector.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Organic Farmers & Growers (OF&G) is a Defra-approved organic control body that certifies farms, growers, processors, and food businesses against legally binding UK organic production standards through annual audits and compliance verification. In addition to core organic certification, the company provides supplementary schemes including BCS (Biodynamic), Pasture for Life, Woodland Carbon Code, and Peatland Code certifications, alongside an online producers directory and classifieds marketplace serving the UK organic supply chain.

Product overview

Organic Farmers & Growers (OF&G) is a Community Interest Company and the longest-established Defra-approved organic control body in the UK, certifying over 50% of all organic land in the country. The company offers a comprehensive suite of certification services including Organic Production, Processing, Inputs, Compost, BCS (Biodynamic), and Pasture for Life certifications. Additionally, OF&G provides carbon-related certifications through the Woodland Carbon Code and Peatland Code. The organization supports licensees with practical advice, technical newsletters, an online producers directory for supply chain verification, and a classifieds marketplace for buying and selling organic products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organic Certification

Quantifiable outcome

• Certifies over 50% of all organic land in the UK
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Soil Association CharitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 November 2023Signed Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation on organic certification and policy matters.
• Welsh Lamb and Beef Producers LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 August 2023Signatory to Open Letter to First Minister of Wales regarding organic farming support. Part of Welsh Organic Forum coalition advocating for organic farming policies in Wales.
• Soil Association CertificationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 August 2023Co-signatory to Open Letter with Soil Association Certification. Both organizations work together on Welsh organic policy advocacy through the Welsh Organic Forum.
• Organic Trade BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 August 2023Represented by Cristina Dimetto, Managing Director, as co-signatory to Open Letter. OF&G works with OTG on market development and organic trade issues.
• Organic Research CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 August 2023Collaborates on research and technical development. Dr Charlotte Bickler from ORC participates in National Organic Conference. ORC presents latest organic crop science at OF&G events.
• Woodland TrustminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 July 2023Supports National Organic Conference. Jack Starbuck, Outreach Adviser, led farm walk on agroforestry at Green Acres Farm during NOC23.
• Organic ArableminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 July 2023Partner organization supporting National Organic Conference. Dominic Amos presents crop trial results including LiveWheat legacy and LiveOat at OF&G events.
• bioC DirectoryminorOthersOF&G hosts link to bioC directory providing access to approximately 70,000 Certified Organic Operators for verifying up to date certificate information.
• Innovation for AgricultureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStephen Briggs, Head of Technical Development at IfA, presents on Climate Farm Demo project at National Organic Conference - a network of 130 Climate Demo Farms.
• Harper Adams UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner hosting pre-conference tours including crop variety plots, naked barley and intercropping trials for CROPDIVA project.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ECOCERT: Large global organic and sustainability certifier with established UK presence; competes for multinational organic supply chain certification and offers broader portfolio (cosmetics, textiles) that OF&G does not, representing a scaled incumbent threat.
• Control Union Certifications: Global certification body active in organic, sustainability, and agricultural commodities; competes for organic certification contracts in the UK and offers global reach that OF&G cannot match for multinational supply chains.
• NSF International: Global public health and certification organization with organic and agricultural certification services; comparable business model in third-party certification, though operating at significantly greater scale and geographic breadth than OF&G.

Regional players

• Scottish Organic Producers Association (SOPA): Scotland-focused organic certification body that directly competes with OF&G's OF&G Scotland division for Scottish organic operators, offering similar Defra-approved certification services within that specific geography.
• Irish Organic Association: Ireland's largest organic certification body operating under EU/UK organic regulations; comparable business model of certifying organic producers across crop and livestock operations in a single national market adjacent to the UK.
• Quality Welsh Food Certification: Welsh organic certification body co-signing policy advocacy with OF&G; competes for organic operators in Wales and represents an alternative regional accreditation option for Welsh farmers.
• Organic Farmers & Growers (Ireland): Irish organic certification body operating under EU regulations; comparable independent certifier business model serving a neighboring national organic market and occasionally overlapping on cross-border supply chain certification.

Direct peers

• Soil Association Certification: The principal UK organic certification competitor; offers Defra-approved organic certification across production, processing, and supply chain, directly contesting OF&G in the same customer base of UK farmers, growers, and food businesses.

Emerging players

• Pasture-Fed Livestock Association (PFLA): Standards owner for the Pasture for Life certification that OF&G administers; a partner in scheme delivery but also a peer in the sense that PFLA owns the standard and could in principle work with alternative certifiers.
• Biodynamic Federation Demeter International: Global certifier of biodynamic agriculture; OF&G offers BCS (Biodynamic Certification System) services that directly interface with Demeter's standards, making it both a partner and a partial competitor in the niche biodynamic certification space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ofgorganic
• Facebookfacebook.com/organicfarmers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ofgorganic

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Organic Farmers & Growers