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Celebrities back last chance for UK Government to fulfil promise to ban sale of peat

The Wildlife Trusts and celebrity supporters are urging the UK Government to seize a final chance to ban sales of peat products ahead of the general election as promised.

  • Today’s bill is UK Government’s last chance to ban sale of peat before election as promised 

  • Alison Steadman, Iolo Williams & Cel Spellman join The Wildlife Trusts in urging MPs to support new bill  

The Wildlife Trusts and celebrity supporters are urging the UK Government to seize a final chance to ban sales of peat products ahead of the general election as promised. The opportunity to pass legislation comes via the new Horticultural Peat Private Members Bill to be debated in the House of Commons today, Tuesday 16th April, proposed by former Environment secretary Theresa Villiers.  

The campaign to stop peat extraction took off in the 1990s and legislation to ban peat sales has been pondered by the UK Government for over a decade; two years ago it promised a ban by the end of this Parliament in 2024. However, sales of peat compost and peat-containing products remains legal in the UK, contributing to the destruction of peatland habitats here and across Europe. 

95% of people that responded to the UK Government’s consultation – of which 88% were amateur gardeners – were in favour of a complete retail sales ban. 

Alison Steadman, actor and ambassador for The Wildlife Trusts, says: 
“The Government is running out of time to fulfil its promise to ban the sale of peat to gardeners by the end of this parliament. Peat belongs in bogs not bags and its high time that commitments to ensure a ban are honoured. What’s left of precious peatlands needs protecting and restoring, not despoiling. Whenever a peatland is dug up a natural habitat is destroyed with appalling consequences for wildlife and our climate. Let’s get on with the ban and not kick the can down the road any longer.” 

Cel Spellman, actor and ambassador for The Wildlife Trusts, says:  
“We can all learn how to grow beautiful plants and our own food without using peat. There is already lots of insightful advice out there to help, including a free guide on going peat-free by The Wildlife Trusts. Our compost heap is a cornerstone on mine and my friend’s allotment. It’s easy to create nutrient-rich soils and compost without ever needing peat.  Ending the sale of peat products would be a huge step forward and a much needed one too – I hope the UK Government picks up its heels on this issue that has simply dragged on for far too long, especially after already going back on so many other promises and commitments.” 

Georgia Dent, Chief Executive Officer of Somerset Wildlife Trust, says: 
“Somerset is unfortunately one of the last two counties in England where peat extraction still takes place. The Somerset Levels and Moors have a long history of peat excavation and drainage, and even though we are now in a climate and nature emergency, extraction is still ongoing today. We know our peatlands are one of our greatest carbon stores and one of the most important instruments in our fight against climate change, which is why we need to be protecting and restoring these amazing places. That means keeping peat in the ground and banning the sale of peat compost.” 

Ailis Watt, public affairs officer of The Wildlife Trusts, says: 
“Peatlands are central to our ability to address the interlinked nature and climate crises. When in a healthy state, peatlands lock up and store carbon for millennia. However, decades of human interventions have transformed peatlands into carbon sources; emissions from degraded peatlands now account for 4% of the UK’s total annual greenhouse gas emissions.”  

UK Government timeline of ban on horticultural peat 

  • 2011: Government sets voluntary target set to end use of bagged peat compost by 2020. This was missed by a large margin – in 2021, over 1 million m3 of peat was sold to amateur gardeners. 

  • 2021: Government launches consultation on ‘Ending the retail sale of peat in horticulture in England and Wales’. 

  • 2022: Consultation reveals that 95% of respondents want to see a ban on the sale of peat. Government commits to a ban by the end of this Parliament in 2024. 

  • 2023: Government sets out the programme of legislation for its final session of Parliament, but with no mention of legislation to ban peat sales. 

  • 2024: Government changes tack, stating that peat sales ban will come only “when parliamentary time allows.” 

The Office for Environmental Protection, the government’s environment watchdog, recently warned that UK Government remains “largely off track to meet its environmental ambitions”, and its advisors have cautioned that progress in reducing emissions is stalling because policy development is too slow. This is perfectly exemplified by the policy failure to ban peat sales.  

In 2022, The Wildlife Trusts published analysis that revealed the policy failures to stop peat extraction has caused up to 31 million tonnes of CO2 to be released since 1990. That is equivalent in emissions terms to 15 million return flights from London to New York or the annual emissions produced by over 7 million cars. 

Peatlands provide vital habitat for a variety of plant and animal species, many of which are specifically adapted to the waterlogged and acidic conditions peatlands provide. With 1 in 6 species now at risk of extinction in Great Britain, an immediate ban on the destruction of peatlands for gardening and growing would make important progress towards reversing these catastrophic declines. 

The majority of UK peatlands are in Scotland, covering 20% of Scotland's land. The Scottish Government has committed to phasing out peat use in horticulture and in 2023 consulted on ending the sale of peat in Scotland. This commitment requires cooperation between the Westminster and Holyrood Governments to better protect this globally important natural resource. 

Peatland plants

Peatland plants, Yorkshire. Photo: Dom Hinchley

Contact

Emily Weatherburn | emily.weatherburn@somersetwildlife.org | 07840840737 
Freya Johns | fjohns@wildlifetrusts.org | 07510 602732 
The Wildlife Trusts’ press office | press@wildlifetrusts.org 

Images are available from this DROPBOX. Please note that these are for one-off use only in connection with this story and The Wildlife Trusts. All photographers must be credited. 

Editor's notes

Government consultation on proposals to end the sale of peat and peat containing products in England and Wales: There were 5,619 responses in total. See results here. 

Peat statistics: 

  • Up to 31 million tonnes of CO2 released by peat extraction since 1990 – see here. 

  • Emissions equivalent to 15 million return flights from London to New York – based on emissions from a return flight amounting to 2 tonnes CO2e. 

  • Emissions equivalent to the annual emissions produced by over 7 million cars – GHG equivalencies calculator: 7,378,056 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for one year. 

Previous peat news from The Wildlife Trusts: 

The Wildlife Trusts: 

The Wildlife Trusts are making the world wilder and helping to ensure that nature is part of everyone’s lives. We are a grassroots movement of 46 charities with more than 910,000 members and 39,000 volunteers. No matter where you are in Britain, there is a Wildlife Trust inspiring people and saving, protecting and standing up for the natural world. With the support of our members, we care for and restore over 2,600 special places for nature on land and run marine conservation projects and collect vital data on the state of our seas. Every Wildlife Trust works within its local community to inspire people to create a wilder future – from advising thousands of landowners on how to manage their land to benefit wildlife, to connecting hundreds of thousands of school children with nature every year. www.wildlifetrusts.org 

Somerset Wildlife Trust: 

Somerset Wildlife Trust is a nature conservation charity. Its purpose is to restore and protect the populations of species across the county and the habitats they call home. Climate change is one of the greatest threats to nature, natural habitats and the ecosystems that support our life on Earth. Our aims are to help address both the ecological and climate crises and put nature back into people’s lives.  

Nature reserves and protected sites on their own are not enough. In order to reverse the decline in species diversity and abundance, and create resilient landscapes and habitats for wildlife and for people that can adapt to climate change, we need to: 

  • Encourage and support landowners to manage their land positively for nature; create more space for nature. 

  • Connect wildlife-rich spaces across the wider landscape to create a robust Nature Recovery Network for Somerset. 

  • Create a movement of people – at least 1 in 4 – that take action for nature’s recovery across Somerset as part of Team Wilder.   

This is at the core of our new 10-year strategy. Nationally the Wildlife Trusts are calling for at least 30% of land to be managed positively for nature by 2030. What we do in Somerset must contribute to that national ambition. You can read our full 10-year strategy, Wilder Somerset here.  

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