Organic poultry and pig producers face significant changes from 1 January 2026 as Defra confirms new restrictions on the use of non-organic protein in feed, aligning Great Britain more closely with EU rules.
Defra has amended and extended the current derogation that allows up to 5% non-organic protein in organic pig and poultry diets. While the extension has been welcomed by the NFU, the union says the government must monitor the impact closely.
The allowance exists because certain essential organic protein sources remain in short supply, particularly in the UK, making fully organic diets difficult to formulate.
Under the new rules, the 5% flexibility will be limited to young poultry under 30 weeks of age and piglets under 35kg. Any birds or pigs above these thresholds must be fed a fully organic diet after the start of 2026 — a shift that could increase feed costs at a time when producers are already facing tight margins.
The changes follow Defra’s response to its April 2025 consultation on two key organic farming derogations that were due to expire at the end of 2025: the 5% non-organic protein allowance and the use of non-organically reared pullets up to 18 weeks of age.
Defra proposed extending both measures until 31 December 2026 but narrowing the protein derogation to younger stock only. The consultation outcome confirms this approach, while the pullet derogation has been extended in full until the end of 2026.
The NFU said it had pressed Defra to extend both derogations in full, arguing that the 5% protein allowance is essential for balanced diets and welfare because some ingredients, including maize gluten, cannot be sourced organically. It warned that limiting the rule to poultry under 30 weeks does not meet birds’ nutritional needs long-term.
On the pullet derogation, the NFU stressed its critical importance. Organic producers in Great Britain rely heavily on non-organically reared pullets because no organic breeding flocks are available domestically. Removing this flexibility, the union said, would make organic egg production unviable.
While acknowledging the extension, the NFU expressed “significant concerns” about narrowing the protein allowance and called on government to keep the situation under constant review and “be prepared to act quickly if there are any adverse consequences for bird health and welfare”.
Great Britain now looks set to follow the EU’s organic rules. At the EU–UK summit in May 2025, both sides agreed that organic standards would form part of the next SPS negotiations, paving the way for GB to adopt the EU’s main organic regulation, 2018/848. EU rules currently allow up to 5% non-organic protein until 31 December 2026, using the same age-based limits for poultry.
With GB’s new restrictions mirroring the EU framework, the NFU said it would keep pressing Defra to retain the derogations for as long as needed to support organic egg and poultry producers. The next year will be critical in determining whether the tighter rules are workable or require further adjustment.
