3.1 percent increase in organic farmland
- Organic farms have become slightly larger on average.
- 4.8 percent of all agricultural land is organic; the goal is to achieve 15 percent by 2030.
- Over 2,500 hectares of organic farmland were added in 2025.
The amount of farmland certified as organic farmland increased by 3.1 percent in 2025, to reach 86,900 hectares. The number of organic arable and horticultural holdings was virtually unchanged (-12 farms). Organic farms had an average area of 45.3 hectares, up by 1.6 hectares compared with 2024. This is according to the final figures of the Agricultural Census carried out by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).
| jaar | Certified organic (1,000 ha) | Undergoing conversion (1,000 ha) |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 47.0 | 3.4 |
| 2016 | 48.8 | 5.8 |
| 2017 | 53.1 | 6.3 |
| 2018 | 59.3 | 4.6 |
| 2019 | 63.3 | 4.9 |
| 2020 | 67.1 | 4.7 |
| 2021 | 71.3 | 5.1 |
| 2022 | 74.4 | 5.7 |
| 2023 | 81.5 | 6.4 |
| 2024 | 84.3 | 6.6 |
| 2025 | 86.9 | 6.2 |
In 2025, 4.8 percent of total agricultural land was being farmed organically, which was almost the same as in 2024. According to the ‘Action Plan - Growth in Organic Production and Consumption’ of the Netherlands’ Ministry of Agriculture (LVVN), at least 15 percent of agricultural land needs to be organic by 2030.
| Perioden | Organic farmland as a percentage of total (% of total area of farmland) | Goal for 2030 (% of total area of farmland) |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2.5 | 15 |
| 2016 | 2.7 | 15 |
| 2017 | 2.9 | 15 |
| 2018 | 3.3 | 15 |
| 2019 | 3.5 | 15 |
| 2020 | 3.7 | 15 |
| 2021 | 3.9 | 15 |
| 2022 | 4.1 | 15 |
| 2023 | 4.5 | 15 |
| 2024 | 4.7 | 15 |
| 2025 | 4.8 | 15 |
Converting to organic
Before farmers are permitted to sell their produce as organic, they must obtain a certificate. To do this, they first need to undergo a transition period, which lasts an average of two years. Farmers can also choose to convert their land to organic in stages.
Small increase in total area of organic farmland
The total area of certified organic farmland has increased every year since 2015. In 2025, 7.8 thousand hectares of organic farmland were added, while 5.3 thousand hectares were lost, resulting in a net increase of over 2.5 thousand hectares of organic farmland.
Of the 84.3 thousand hectares of certified organic farmland in 2024, 93.8 percent remained certified organic in 2025. Between 2018 and 2025, an average of 94.1 percent of organic agricultural farmland was also certified as organic in the previous year.
There are over 1,900 certified organic agricultural and horticultural holdings in the Netherlands.
| Jaartal | Increase (1,000 ha) | Decrease (1,000 ha) |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | -3.4 | 9.6 |
| 2019 | -5.3 | 5.5 |
| 2020 | -5.5 | 9.3 |
| 2021 | -2.2 | 6.2 |
| 2022 | -4.1 | 7.0 |
| 2023 | -4.4 | 11.8 |
| 2024 | -6.7 | 9.5 |
| 2025 | -5.3 | 7.8 |
| ¹⁾ Based on land register data, available from 2017 | ||
Over 4,000 new hectares undergoing conversion to organic
In 2025, 6.2 thousand hectares of agricultural land was in the process of being converted to organic farming, which was 6.4 percent less than a year earlier. 4.1 thousand hectares of agricultural land entered the conversion process, while 4.4 thousand hectares were removed from it.
One-third of agricultural land (2,100 hectares) in the process of being converted was also in conversion in 2024. Between 2018 and 2025, an average of 29.9 percent of the land being converted was also in conversion the previous year.
In 2025, 418 farms were in the process of converting to organic, compared to 422 in 2024.
| Jaartal | Unchanged from previous year (1,000 ha) | Decrease (1,000 ha) | Increase (1,000 ha) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1.5 | -4.9 | 3.1 |
| 2019 | 1.4 | -3.2 | 3.5 |
| 2020 | 1.6 | -3.3 | 3.1 |
| 2021 | 1.3 | -3.4 | 3.8 |
| 2022 | 1.9 | -3.2 | 3.8 |
| 2023 | 1.4 | -4.4 | 4.9 |
| 2024 | 2.0 | -4.4 | 4.6 |
| 2025 | 2.1 | -4.4 | 4.1 |
| ¹⁾ Based on land register data, available from 2017 | |||