Anne Bruce DEFRA is expected to recommend that one uniform organic certification mark be established for the UK when it publishes its organic action plan on Monday. NFU production standards advisor Joanna Jeffery said the union had been assured of Treasury funding to create a logo as part of a tranche of measures to boost the UK organic sector. The action plan will set out proposals for DEFRA organic watchdog and certifier the UK Register of Organic Food Standards to be replaced with a new accreditation body, with representation from all 10 of the UK's organic certifiers on its board. Jeffery said the NFU had been lobbying the UK's 10 organic certifying bodies to unite under a single UK logo, amid protests from retailers that consumers are swamped with assurance marks. Waitrose has already started using an own brand organic mark for all its organic lines for consistency and clarity. NFU organic chairman Oliver Dowding said: "One of the things that would help is a single country of origin label for UK organic produce that flags up the high standards of production in this country. "This will allow farmers to fight for their place in the market and for consumers to back organic production in Britain." And NFU president Ben Gill said: "The UK is more dependent on imported organic produce than any other EU country, with imports accounting for 75% of total sales. "This, together with falling returns, is undermining the future sustainability of the domestic market." The NFU's new Organic Farming report ­ based on a survey of 2,000 organic producers ­ says the amount of land in organic production in the UK rose by a third last year, but lack of government data on the organic sector is hampering producers' efforts to tailor supply to demand. Dowding said: "We have the willingness, we have the expertise and we have the demand, but without sufficient returns and falling business confidence, the future of organic production in this country remains uncertain." {{NEWS }}