Calls for peat products ban to be sped up

The Somerset Levels contain almost 11 million tonnes of carbon stored in peat

A Somerset MP has called for a ban on the use of peat by professional growers to be sped up.

From 2025, amateur gardeners will not be able to buy bags of peat-based compost and it is due to be phased out for the rest of the horticulture industry between 2026 and 2030.

Sarah Dyke, Liberal Democrat MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, has brought forward a bill in parliament calling for that timeframe to be accelerated.

But the Horticultural Trades Association has urged MPs to give professional tree and plant growers time to "make a smooth transition to peat-free".

The sale of bagged compost accounts for 70% of extracted peat sold in the UK and, once extracted, the carbon inside the bag is released as carbon dioxide, contributing to climate change.

In 2022 the government announced the sale of horticultural peat would be banned "to protect England's precious peatlands".

A Defra spokesperson said: “We are committed to protecting our nature-rich habitats, including peat bogs and are looking at measures to ban the retail sale of horticultural peat.”

Peat extraction has been declining in the UK since 2003

Ms Dyke told a House of Commons debate on Wednesday that Somerset is one of only two counties in England where peat extraction still takes place.

Ms Dyke said peatlands are "extremely rare and valuable habitats for wildlife".

Sir Christopher Chope, Conservative MP for Christchurch, Dorset, responded saying the bill was a "full-frontal attack on British horticulture" and would have "unacceptable and unintended consequences" for the industry.

However, Ms Dyke insisted that banning peat products, if done correctly, will bring "huge opportunities for British horticulture".

She wants to see the ban brought forward to the end of 2025, though admitted some industry exemptions would be necessary.

The Horticultural Peat (prohibition of sale) Bill will now progress to its second reading on 24 January.

Sarah Dyke also campaigned for peat extraction on the Somerset Levels to end when she was a local councillor

Fran Barnes, chief executive of the Horticultural Trades Association, urged MPs to give "in-depth consideration to the UK’s professional tree and plant growers".

"It takes considerable trial and testing to find a mix that works – and different plants growing in different conditions may require a different peat-free mix at nursery stage.

"With the right support, we can eventually achieve this milestone; without support, there will be a significant contraction in the plants and trees that British environmental horticulture will be able to produce," he added.