Garden News (UK)

PEAT PRODUCTS TO BE AXED

Peat composts to be banned by 2024 while discussion­s with trade continue,

- reports Ian Hodgson

Peat-based gardening products are to be finally banned by government after 60 years of constant use.

Existing stocks of potting composts and other products using peat must now be sold or removed from sale by 2024, although the Department for Environmen­t, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is yet to fix a precise date for the measure.

More details are set to be hammered out after the conclusion of discussion­s between DEFRA and trade representa­tives this month. Discussion­s will include the use of peat to grow plants imported from Europe, where peat use is still permitted. Scotland and Northern Ireland are currently not directly following the policies being implemente­d in England and Wales. The sea-change measure has been ushered in as part of the government’s Net Zero strategy, embodied in its 25-year Environmen­t Plan. UK peatlands act as a carbon store, help purify and hold huge volumes of water to prevent flooding and act as a refuge for wildlife. Peat extraction currently involves around 1,000 hectares of UK peatlands.

While take-up of peat-free composts has grown as more products become available through retailers such as B&Q, Homebase, Dobbies and the RHS, other outlets are yet to supply it. The Government also undertook a public consultati­on on the issue, receiving more than 5,000 responses, with more than 95 per cent favouring the ban.

The much-anticipate­d timing for the introducti­on of the ban triggered strong reactions from the horticultu­ral trade. The Horticultu­ral Trades Associatio­n is concerned there’s not enough time for compost manufactur­ers to secure readily available and consistent supplies of raw materials for new products. Materials include shredded bark chip, pulverised bark fibre, green waste and coir, predominan­tly imported from Sri Lanka.

Although the industry removed 30 per cent (600,000 cubic metres) of peat from compost products, James Barnes of the Growing Media Taskforce is worried there’s not enough alternativ­e material in the country to meet the need, and that gardeners could be faced with more expensive products that have not gone through a lengthy enough quality assurance process. “We repeat our ask to government that it puts its energies into addressing the barriers to alternativ­es, rather than unnecessar­ily legislatin­g,” he said.

 ?? ?? Peat-free wool compost is one alternativ­e
Peat-free wool compost is one alternativ­e
 ?? ?? Coarse grit, composted bark and coir coconut fibre
Coarse grit, composted bark and coir coconut fibre
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