Retailers, horticultural firms and nature groups call on PM to ban peat sales
A letter to the Prime Minister calls for an urgent end to horticultural peat sales.
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Your support makes all the difference.Retailers, horticultural industry businesses and nature charities have written to the Prime Minister urging a rapid end to sales of peat.
A letter with more than 100 signatories, including B&Q and the Co-op as well as major compost manufacturer Evergreen Garden Care, nurseries and plant growers, is calling on the Labour Government to end “business uncertainty” for the sector by halting the use of peat in horticulture.
The letter, organised by the Peat-free Partnership, has also been signed by organisations including the National Trust, Wildlife Trusts, Plantlife and the Royal Horticultural Society, as well as individuals including campaigner and TV presenter Chris Packham.
We’ve been talking about this for too long. We’re calling on the Government to act now
Environmental campaigners have long called for stricter laws to restore peatlands, which are the UK’s largest carbon sink.
As well as carbon capture and storage, peatlands provide habitat to some of the UK’s most threatened wildlife, and also filter water and prevent flooding downstream, but draining, burning, and harvesting for compost means only 13% are in a near-perfect state.
The previous government pledged in 2022 that the sale of peat for private gardens and allotments would be banned by 2024, but sales remain legal, which conservationists say contributes to the destruction of peatland habitats in the UK and across Europe.
A public consultation, which received 5,000 responses, found 95% of people supported the ban.
Nicola Hutchinson, director of conservation at Plantlife, which hosts the Peat-free Partnership, said: “There is overwhelming support for the ban on the sale of peat, with major retailers, the horticultural industry, MPs, conservation charities and 95% of the public backing a fully peat-free, sustainable UK horticultural industry.
“We’ve been talking about this for too long. We’re calling on the Government to act now.
“Let’s legislate and keep peat in the ground and out of our gardens.”
We, as a nation of garden lovers, could be the first country to make a lasting ban... what a legacy that would be for future generations
Alys Fowler, gardener, writer and former BBC Gardeners’ World presenter, said there is no acceptable level of peat for use in horticulture.
“It must stay in the ground for the sake and health of the planet, because it is a unique and precious habitat and because any form of extraction releases huge amounts of greenhouse gasses through degradation of the stored carbon held in the peat,” she said.
“We, as a nation of garden lovers, could be the first country to make a lasting ban, not just on the sales of our own peat, but on imported compost and plants grown in peat too – what a legacy that would be for future generations.”
Joanna Gluzman, responsible business director at B&Q, said that since 2023 all of the bagged compost the DIY retailer sold has been peat free and it is working on removing peat from nursery plants.
“The environmental impact of using peat is well known and we’re committed to working with our growers and to bringing them on the journey to peat-free plants with us,” she said.
“Whilst we’re making good progress to meet our target, we would welcome regulation to ensure progress on such an important topic is maintained so that the use of peat is fully eradicated in the future.”
The partnership says legislation to end the sale of peat is needed to deliver a legal and enforceable end to peat use, as repeated voluntary targets set by previous governments were missed, and create a level playing field so peat-free companies are not undercut by cheaper peat-grown products.
It said the legislation is also needed to provide an end to imports and exports of peat to protect peatlands abroad and in the UK, and be a catalyst for more sustainable gardening.
The Government said it is considering the next steps on measure to ban horticultural peat.
A spokesperson for the Environment Department (Defra) said: “Britain’s nature is in crisis, which is why we are committed to protecting nature-rich habitats such as peat bogs.
“We will continue to work alongside the horticultural sector to accelerate progress on the peat free transition.”