Peat: Regulation

(asked on 19th January 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on banning the (a) importation and (b) professional use of peat; what steps he is taking to encourage the use of green waste alternatives in place of peat; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Rebecca Pow Portrait
Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This question was answered on 24th January 2022

We are currently consulting on measures to end the use of peat in horticulture in England and Wales. This includes a ban on the retail sale of peat, which would see domestic peat and imports of peat treated alike. In 2020, bagged growing media containing peat from the retail sector accounted for almost 70% of peat sold in the UK.

Our consultation includes a call for evidence on the impacts of ending the use of peat and peat containing products in the professional horticulture sector and is open for responses until 18 March 2022.

We are aware of the potential for waste products to be used as alternatives to peat and peat containing products in horticulture and are exploring where we might unlock the use of waste products as a suitable alternative to peat use in horticulture.

Please follow the link to the consultation:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/ending-the-retail-sale-of-peat-in-horticulture-in-england-and-wales.

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