Consultation will run until 29 November, with new standard expected to come into effect in March 2026
LEAF has opened a second round of public consultation on proposed changes to its latest LEAF Marque Standard.
According to the sustainable food and farming charity, the online consultation is now open and will run until 29 November.
This is the second, and final, opportunity for stakeholders to offer their input on the proposed changes to the standard.
An early-stage public consultation on the standard took place between March and May this year. Based on feedback, LEAF has now launched a final round of public consultation to agree on the proposed changes.
Key areas that have been developed following the first public consultation, include: regenerative farming practices, water management, protected cropping, nutrient management, and peat, among others.
The new standard is expected to be published in September 2025 and come into effect in March 2026.
Chair of the LEAF Marque technical committee, Andrew Francis, said: “We work hard to understand and meet evolving expectations for more sustainable farming, whilst maintaining an assurance system that is also practical, accessible and science-based.
“We welcome constructive stakeholder engagement and dialogue and urge all our members, stakeholders and partners to get involved with our consultation process.”
Standards and impacts manager at LEAF, Abbey Holman, added that since the initial public consultation, LEAF has made changes to improve the clarity of the requirements, reduce duplication, and improve the applicability of the requirements for more complex business contexts, including producer groups, rented land and protected cropping.
