The move will open up the lucrative Japanese organic livestock sector to UK-based food manufacturers, with the agreement effectively giving firms unprecedented access to one of Asia’s fastest-growing organic markets.
Unveiled by the food security minister, Dame Angela Eagle, the deal came into force earlier this month and is expected to help create significant access for British exporters hoping to capitalise on growing consumer demand for organic livestock products in Japan.
British businesses will now only need a single UK certification to sell their organic livestock products across both nations, cutting costs and bureaucracy, as well as breaking down what had hitherto been a significant trade barrier.
Lauding the deal, Downing Street said that removing this hurdle was one of its market access priorities, adding that opening up the Japanese organic market could generate millions in additional trade each year.
“From Welsh organic cheese to world-class organic British beef, our farmers and producers set the gold standard for quality,” said Eagle.
“This arrangement tears down barriers and gives them access to Japanese consumers who are increasingly seeking out the very best organic products the world has to offer.”
One of the businesses targeting continued growth in its exports of organic cheese across Asian markets is Welsh organic dairy producer Calon Wen.
Now firmly focused on gaining a foothold in Japan, the firm’s business development and sales manager, Stuart McNally, commented: “This is a very welcome breakthrough for Calon Wen, a farmer-owned organic dairy co-operative, and for the wider UK organic sector.
“This equivalency with Japan allows us to pursue opportunities previously out of reach. This includes organic business tenders worth substantial trade annually. It’s a positive step that supports our family farms and strengthens the reputation of Welsh organic dairy in premium export markets such as Japan.”
Ranked as the world’s fifth-largest economy, Japan is currently the second-largest organic market in Asia, valued at an estimated £1.4 billion in 2023.
Driven by Japanese government initiatives to promote organic consumption domestically, this market is expanding rapidly and is expected to prove an attractive proposition for UK businesses.
The scope of products covered by the agreement will include all types of UK organic certified meat and dairy products, including beef, lamb, pork and chicken, as well as processed meat products such as bacon, sausages, hams and cured meats; dairy products such as butter, cheese, yoghurt, milk powders and processed eggs; and other processed food products containing animal ingredients, such as pet food.
The deal builds upon the UK’s existing organic equivalency arrangement for mutual recognition of organic standards with Japan and follows on from a similar agreement struck for alcoholic drinks in September last year.
According to Downing Street, British organic produce including tea, fruit and vegetable juices, cereals, sauces and syrups is already proving popular in Japan, which in turn exports staples such as organic soy sauce, noodles and green tea to the UK market.
On the UK market, the organic sector grew by 4.2% in 2025 to reach £3.9 billion in retail value, in the face of a cost-of-living crisis; a trend which the government says has been sustained since 2012.
This latest move will provide the government with some much-needed optimism, and swiftly follows its landmark deal to allow British beef to enter the US market tariff-free for the first time, which could be worth up to £70 million a year if fully utilised.
