Soil Association

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The Soil Association is a UK membership charity that promotes sustainable food and farming through the use of local, seasonal and organic systems.

[edit] History

The Soil Association was founded in 1946 by a group of farmers, scientists and nutritionists who observed a direct connection between farming practice and plant, animal, human and environmental health.

Today the Soil Association is the UK's leading organic organisation, with over 180 staff based in our Bristol headquarters, in regional centres and working as certification inspectors across the country. The Soil Association's director is Patrick Holden, who reports to the Council of Trustees.


The Soil Association sets standards for organic production in:

  • organic farming
  • organic food processing
  • organic restaurants and catering
  • organic fisheries
  • organic textiles and leather

Soil Association standards are recognised to exceed statutory organic standards, such as those set by the European Union, and the UK government. Compassion In World Farming regards Soil Association standards to offer the best guarantee of high animal welfare standards in the UK.

Soil Association Certification Ltd is a subsidiary company of the Soil Association, independently providing organic certification services and advisory support on all aspects of organic certification. Soil Association Certification Ltd is one of ten approved organic certification bodies in the UK.

According to their website: "The Soil Association was founded in 1946 by a group of farmers, scientists and nutritionists who observed a direct connection between farming practice and plant, animal, human and environmental health.

"The catalyst was the publication of The Living Soil by Lady Eve Balfour in 1943. The book presented the case for an alternative, sustainable approach to agriculture that has since become known as organic farming."

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