Effective January 1, 2021, a new US-UK equivalence agreement ensures that organic products certified to either USDA or UK standards may be labelled and sold as organic in both countries. The agreement provides continuity for US-UK exports that were covered by the US-EU equivalence agreement, effective in 2012, following the UK’s departure from the EU.

Like the US-EU agreement, the US-UK agreement covers only certified organic products that have been grown or raised in the US or UK and products where the final processing or packaging occurs in these countries, including where organic ingredients from other countries have been certified to USDA or UK standards. Crops, wild crops, livestock, and processed products are all eligible for equivalency under the agreement, but aquatic animals (fish, shellfish) and agricultural products derived from animals treated with antibiotics will not be certified organic when exported to the US.

The UK has established a new import process for all USDA organic products traded under the agreement, with different documentation required depending on whether the product is exported to Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) or Northern Ireland. As is the case under the US-EU agreement, exported organic products under the US-UK agreement must meet the labeling requirements of the destination country. Keller and Heckman is experienced in assisting with certification and labeling regulations under USDA’s National Organic Program.