Use of peat as compost falls ahead of 2024 ban

Peat made up less than 30 per cent of the compost sold in the UK in 2021, the horticultural industry has shown.

Peat sold in bags of compost fell from 35.5 per cent of soil improvers in 2020 to 29.8 per cent in 2021.

The figures for 2021 were also down on 2019 – after lockdown drove a spike in gardening in 2020. Wood chip fibres overtook to account for 30 per cent.

The industry called for the Government to help find alternatives, rather than bring in its ban by 2024.

Peat lands are the UK’S largest carbon store and extracting it releases carbon, damages wildlife habitats, and reduces the landscape’s ability to absorb water and curb flooding.