Peat Extraction

For centuries it was believed that peatlands were of no value unless drained or extracted from. Today, we know this is not true – so why are 80% of the UK’s peatlands still degraded? Peat extraction for gardening and growing directly contributes to the decline of our peatlands, with knock-on impacts for the interlinked nature and climate crises.

Progress on this issue is long overdue; targets to phase out peat use were first introduced in 2011. After little progress, a decade later, UK Government announced it would ban the sale of bagged peat compost by 2024. However, there is currently no legislation in place to achieve this. The Welsh Government announced that it would work alongside Defra to implement a ban in Wales. The Scottish Government has consulted on this issue and has also committed to a ban on the sale of horticultural peat. In Northern Ireland, proposals to phase out peat compost sales by 2025 have been dropped completely and no date has yet been set to ban peat-related gardening products.

There must be increased ambition to bring about an end to peat use in both the UK's amateur and professional horticulture sector. Major retailers have demonstrated that it is possible, having successfully produced bedding plants not grown in peat on a commercial scale. Research has also shown that even carnivorous house plants, that originate from peat bogs can be grown without the need for peat.

The Wildlife Trusts have been at the forefront of the fight to protect peatlands since the 1990s and are leading on peatland restoration projects across the UK. To date, Wildlife Trusts have restored over 120,000 football pitches worth of peatlands in England alone.