UK foraging law

Under the Theft Act 1968 (opens in a new tab), picking the "four Fs" — fruit, foliage, fungi and flowers — that are growing wild, for your personal, non-commercial use, is generally not theft. But you must not uproot plants, and picking for sale or commercial purposes can be an offence. You still need the landowner's permission to be on the land.

Under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (opens in a new tab), it is illegal to uproot any wild plant without the landowner's or occupier's authorisation, and species listed on Schedule 8 (which includes some fungi and plants) are fully protected — you must not pick or harm them at all. Know your rare species and leave them be (see our code of conduct).

The "right to roam" created by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (opens in a new tab) lets you walk on mapped access land, but it gives no right to forage. You still need the landowner's permission to pick anything.

Stricter rules apply on many sites: on Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) many activities, including picking, may require Natural England's consent; the National Trust permits only light personal foraging and prohibits picking fungi and all commercial collecting; Forestry England woodland generally allows modest personal foraging but no commercial picking or uprooting; many Royal Parks, nature reserves and Crown land ban foraging outright. Always check the rules for the specific site.

Refer to the National Trust foraging policy (opens in a new tab), the UK Forestry Standard (opens in a new tab), and the Natural England SSSI and access data (opens in a new tab) for specific site rules.

Scotland is different. The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 (opens in a new tab) and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (opens in a new tab) give a broad right of responsible access that customarily includes foraging wild food for personal use, provided you act responsibly and avoid damaging designated sites. Commercial collecting is excluded and needs permission.

Northern Ireland has its own legislation (notably the Wildlife and Natural Environment Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 and the Wildlife (NI) Order). Rules on protected species and access differ from Great Britain — check with the landowner and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) before foraging.

• Get the landowner's permission.
• Never uproot or take protected (Schedule 8) species.
• Don't pick for sale without permission.
• Take only what you'll use and follow our code of conduct.
• When unsure of the rules or the species, leave it.