International Trade Policies: United Kingdom

Last updated – January 2026

The United States (U.S.) has an equivalence arrangement with the United Kingdom (UK), which includes Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) and Northern Ireland. The equivalence arrangement grants USDA certified organic products access to the UK’s market and grants UK certified organic products access to the U.S. market. This means that organic products certified to either the USDA or UK organic standards may be labeled and sold as organic in both countries, as long as the products meet the terms of the arrangement.

Scope. This equivalence arrangement is limited to country-to-country trade. For U.S. exports to the UK, the arrangement is limited to products certified to the USDA organic regulations that are produced or have had their final processing occur within the U.S. For UK exports to the U.S., the arrangement is limited to products certified under the UK organic program that are produced or have had their final processing occur in the UK.

Allowed product categories: Crops, Wild Crops, Livestock, Processed Products.

Terms of the Arrangement. Generally, USDA and UK certified organic products are eligible for trade under this equivalence, but there are some stipulations.

  • Wine must be produced and labelled according to the organic regulations of the destination country.

The following are additional requirements for certified UK organic products exported to the U.S.:

  • Agricultural products derived from animals treated with antibiotics shall not be sold, labeled, or represented as organic in the U.S.
  • Aquatic animals (e.g., fish, shellfish) are not included in the equivalence arrangement and are not eligible to use the USDA organic seal. 

Trade Documentation.

Exports of USDA Organic Products. The UK requires that all organic goods entering from non-EU countries must continue to have a valid Certificate of Inspection (COI). Different documentation is required depending on whether the USDA organic product is exported to the UK-Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) or to the UK-Northern Ireland.

  • USDA organic products exported to the UK-Great Britain: A USDA-accredited certifying agent must issue a Great Britain Certificate of Inspection (COI) before the products leave the U.S. and send it electronically by email to the UK Port Health Authority (PHA)/Local Authority (LA). (The UK discourages sending paper documents.) The PHA/LA can endorse a copy if the original hasn’t arrived in order to clear the goods, though the original will need to be endorsed within 10 working days for the consignment to be sold as organic.
  • USDA organic products exported to the UK-Northern Ireland: Pursuant to the Northern Ireland/Ireland Protocol, the European Union (EU) organic regulations will remain applicable in Northern Ireland. Exports from the U.S. to Northern Ireland will continue to adhere to the EU procedures and will continue to require an EU COI. A USDA-accredited certifying agent must complete an electronic Certificate of Inspection (COI) through the European Union’s Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) before the product leaves the U.S. Certain edits to the COI may only be made within 10 days of issuing the original COI.

*  U.S. organic businesses that encounter issues with USDA organic exports arriving in the UK are encouraged to work with their UK importer. You may also email the UK authorities at Organic.Imports@defra.gov.uk

U.S. Imports of UK Organic Products. All UK organic products imported into the U.S. under the arrangement must be associated with an NOP Import Certificate.   UK-accredited certifying agents generate NOP Import Certificates in USDA’s GLOBAL Organic Integrity Database (Global Integrity). Operations that export products from the UK to the U.S. under the organic equivalence arrangement are also listed in Global Integrity under the Trade Partners tab. The NOP Import Certificate must include the following attestation statement:

“Certified in compliance with the terms of the U.S.-UK Organic Equivalence Arrangement.”

Labeling.

USDA Organic Products exported to the UK. Exported products must meet the labeling requirements of the UK. For retail products, labels or stickers must state the name of the U.S. certifying agent and may use the USDA Organic seal; there is no UK organic logo. The UK requires that retail product labels must use the same code that the European Union has assigned to each USDA-accredited certifying agent, listed on the European Commission’s Organic Farming Information System (OFIS) website. See resources below.

Products with 70% to less than 95% organic content (those that would qualify in the U.S. as “made with organic”), may display a percentage statement of organic content on the label, but may not be labeled with the USDA organic seal. The UK does not have a “made with organic” labeling category.

Products certified in the U.S. as 100% organic may only be labeled as “organic” since the UK does not have a 100% organic category. These products may display the USDA organic seal.

Bulk (non-retail) products must display lot numbers and must allow for a complete audit trail to verify the product’s integrity.

UK Organic Products exported to the U.S. Exported products must meet the USDA organic labeling requirements. For retail products, labels or stickers must state, “Certified Organic by (insert name of UK-authorized certification body)”  below the information identifying the handler or distributor of the product and may also include the code assigned to each UK-authorized certification body. Retail labels or stickers may use the USDA Organic seal.

Bulk (non-retail) products must display identification of the product as organic and the production lot number, shipping identification or other unique information that links the container to audit trail documentation. The name of the UK-authorized certification body is not required to be stated on bulk containers. 

Oversight. The U.S. and UK assess each other’s systems on a regular basis to ensure that the terms of the arrangement are being met and equivalence is maintained. Both parties notify each other of any changes which could affect the terms of the arrangement. Any concerns are addressed by the Organic Working Group, which meets regularly and includes experts from both countries.

Peer Reviews. Since the establishment of the U.S.-UK Equivalence Arrangement, the U.S. and UK have conducted mutual peer reviews. These assessments verify that both markets are meeting the terms of the arrangement.

Peer Review Reports:

U.S. Peer Review Report of the United Kingdom (pdf)

Historical Documents

Resources