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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the commitment to phase out the use of peat in horticulture is included in the sector growth plans for horticulture.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the Horticulture Sector Growth Plan integrates expertise in sustainability, agroecology and nature friendly farming. This expertise will shape the plan’s approach to productivity, innovation and nature friendly farming, including the transition away from peat. Delivering this transition will require the appropriate primary legislative and supporting mechanisms to be in place to provide a clear and enforceable basis.

The establishment of the new Farming and Food Partnership Board and its oversight of sector growth plans is a key part of that process. Following its first meeting, the Board has invited the Horticulture Expert Growers Group to work with the Fruit & Veg Coalition and the Environmental Horticulture Group and immediately begin work on the first Sector Growth Plan for the horticultural sector. This will ensure that the expertise and insights of the horticultural industry are fully considered by the Board.