This legislation will only apply in England. Environmental issues are devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but Defra said that talks are ongoing with the devolved administrations on enacting the ban across the UK. Some plants in garden centres will still be potted in peat, although the Government is due to hold talks with professional growers shortly to discuss banning peat use in nurseries.
Peat is plant material which is partially decomposed and has accumulated in waterlogged conditions.
When peat dries out it emits rather than stores greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change.
The ban applies to peat in products designed for everyday gardeners, which accounts for 70 percent of the peat sold in the UK.
Environment Minister Richard Benyon said: “This Government understands the importance of keeping peat healthy and in the ground, here and around the world – to lock up carbon, strengthen drought resilience and serve as a powerful nature-based solution to climate change.
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“The actions announced today mark a new chapter in the story of our iconic peatlands – safeguarding their long-term health and vitality as part of our commitments to achieve Net Zero and deliver our 25 Year Environment Plan.”
Peatlands are the UK’s largest carbon store but only approximately 13 percent of peatlands are in near-natural state.
This has happened due to the drainage for agricultural use, overgrazing and burning. The Government said peat is frequently misused, often being used as a soil improver rather than a medium in which to propagate plants.
Peat extraction also degrades the state of the wider peatland landscape, damaging habitats of animals such as the swallowtail butterfly and short-eared owls.
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The Government said the measures which were announced yesterday will contribute to efforts to achieve their ambitious targets of restoring 35,000 hectares of peatlands by 2025.
Professor Alistair Griffiths, Director of Science and Collections at the Royal Horticultural Society, commented: “Peatlands are the world’s largest carbon store on land, with great potential to store carbon long-term, helping to reach net zero.
“They reduce flooding, when rewetted, reduce fire risks and provide valuable habitats for both plants and animals.
“To tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis, it is essential that we have a sustainable transition to peat-free alternative growing media.
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“The RHS stopped selling peat-based growing media bags in 2019 and will continue to work with Defra, industry and gardeners to accelerate the transition to peat-free.”
Until the ban comes in, peat can still be found in multi-purpose compost and growing bags, unless labelled peat-free.
Gardeners can buy peat-free alternatives made from things such as bark, coconut fibre or sheep’s wool, or gardeners can make their own compost.
The RHS said: “Most peat-free composts contain wood-based materials as their primary ingredient, e.g. wood fibre, composted bark, sawdust, wood or paper waste.
“Wood-based mixes can be tailored to the requirements of most plants as they have excellent drainage properties as well as a low pH.
“Gardeners can mix well-rotted, home-made compost, leafmould and inorganic materials to make their own peat-free growing media, but results tend to be variable.
“It is difficult to standardise pH, moisture retention and available nutrients, and to ensure that the final mix is weed-free. However, as the materials are all made locally, this compost has a low carbon footprint.”
Wording on compost such as “environmentally friendly” or “organic” doesn’t necessary mean they are peat-free.
A good quality peat-free growing media is usually a little more expensive, but the RHS said the price does tend to reflect quality.
Gardeners should also make sure they are caring for their plants according to instructions when using peat-free compost.
This is because watering and feeding requirements do tend to differ when using this type of growing media.
