RHS: We won’t use any peat by 2025
HORTICULTURE: The UK’s leading gardening charity has pledged to go peat free by 2025 and is also urging householders to ditch it.
The Royal Horticultural Society says it will no longer use peat by halfway through this decade and is now testing sustainable alternatives such as farmed sphagnum moss.
THE UK’S leading gardening charity has pledged to go peat free by 2025 – and is urging householders to ditch it from their gardens too.
The Royal Horticultural Society has committed to phasing out its remaining use of peat by halfway through this decade.
The society is now carrying out trials using sustainable alternatives – including farmed sphagnum moss – to reach its goal.
Healthy peatlands trap carbon, helping to reduce emissions and tackle climate change, as well as providing habitat for plants and animals.
But these benefits are lost once the peat is damaged, such as being dug up and removed for sale.
The RHS said yesterday that its gardens were already 98 per cent free of peat, with the exception of use on some rare and exotic plants.
The society also said it stopped selling peat-based bags of compost in 2019.
All plants it sells at its shops and on display at its shows will be peat-free by 2025, the charity said.
The Government set voluntary goals to end sales of peat compost for amateur gardens by 2020 and for a phase-out of its use in commercial horticulture by 2030, as part of efforts to curb carbon emissions.
But the target for amateur gardeners was missed and there has been slow progress on reducing peat use in the professional growing sector, prompting calls from environmentalists for a ban on peat in compost by 2025.
The RHS is calling for greater Government support to help the industry replace around two million cubic metres of peat a year with sustainable alternatives, including incentives and investment in research and development.
The charity will be trialling alternatives including farmed sphagnum moss, organic material from anaerobic digestion, wood by-products and waste materials over the next few years to achieve its pledged peat-free status.
It is calling on gardeners to halt their use of peat by buying peat-free bagged compost and using compost bins in their own gardens to create home-grown soil improvers or putting garden waste in council bins for wider use.
Gardeners can also share advice, tips and their successes on going peat free with friends and family to help spread the message, the society said.
The RHS said it was surveying its 521,000 members to better understand their awareness of the need to move away from peat and the barriers they see and has put new information on its website to help.
Alistair Griffiths, director of science and collections at the RHS, said UK gardeners were increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their gardens and were seeking alternatives, including peat-free products.
He said: “However, the challenge for industry in finding a replacement for the two million cubic metres of peat used should not be underestimated and is why Government support will be crucial in helping to protect this precious resource and ensure our plots are truly green.”
For more information about peat, visit www.rhs.org.uk/peat.
Government help will be crucial to ensure our plots are truly green. Alistair Griffiths, director of science and collections at the RHS.
THE ANNUAL Comic Relief fundraiser is to return to television screens today and will feature appearances from Daniel Craig, Catherine Tate and Olivia Colman.
The show is being hosted by television presenters Davina McCall and Paddy McGuinness, comedian Sir Lenny Henry and singer Alesha Dixon.
During the programme, Tate’s foul-mouthed Nan character will meet James Bond, played by Craig, during a new sketch for the programme.
The show will feature clips from television programmes including The Vicar Of Dibley, Staged and Top Gear.
Jack Whitehall’s Zoom Meeting will see the comedian host a Comic Relief video call with guests including fellow comedian Guz Khan and actresses Olivia Colman, pictured, and Anya Taylor-Joy.
BBC comedies Normal People and Fleabag will also join forces in a clip for the programme. Tate said: “Nan had a right old time meeting Bond. What a smashing fella. As ever, it was great fun filming this Comic Relief sketch. Huge thanks to Daniel and all the Bond team for being such great sports. I hope it raises lots of money on the night.” Money raised by Red Nose Day will support people in the UK and around the world and help tackle hunger, homelessness, domestic abuse and mental health stigma. Comic Relief has raised more than £1.4bn over 35 years. The programme airs tonight from 7pm on BBC One.