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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of (a) water and (b) fertiliser usage for (i) peat and (ii) coir in the growing of plants.

Officials are currently updating our economic Impact Assessment which examines the cost differences in moving away from peat. This includes inputs such as water and fertiliser as well as the capital costs of altering machinery.