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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relative cost of (1) peat free compost, and (2) compost incorporating peat; and what steps they are taking to reduce the cost of peat free materials to gardeners.

In the recently published England Peat Action Plan we have committed to undertake a full consultation in 2021 on banning the sale of peat and peat containing products in the amateur sector by the end of this Parliament. As part of that consultation, we will be considering opportunities to reduce both the costs and availability of alternatives to peat in growing media.

As outlined in the Action Plan, the Government is committed to working with the industry to understand the implications of our proposals, identify blockages and to working with the private sector to develop and enact solutions, thus making the transition to peat alternatives as seamless as possible.

The England Peat Action Plan is attached.