Butterfly Conservation has joined more than 100 retailers, compost manufacturers, nursery owners and other conservation charities signing a letter urging Keir Starmer and his cabinet to legislate to end peat sales for good.
It is the first time retailers, charities and the horticultural industry have joined forces to demand a change in legislation.
Coordinated by The Peat-Free Partnership – a coalition of horticultural organisations and environmental NGOs in the UK – the letter includes support from B&Q, the Co-op, major compost manufacturer Evergreen Garden Care and supplier Vitacress – and calls on the new Government to fulfil its legal commitments on climate change and biodiversity.
Extraction and sale of peat for use in horticulture remains legal, despite years of campaigning to stop it. The previous Government repeatedly pledged to pass legislation to end peat sales in England by the end of 2024 – but failed to keep its promise.
In 2022, the horticultural industry used 950,000 cubic metres of peat – enough to fill 380 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
This trade impacts biodiversity and carbon stores, as well as reducing our ability to withstand flooding and improve the quality of our water supplies.
Peatlands are home to some of the UK’s most distinctive plant communities. They are also vital carbon sinks. When bogs are drained or peat is extracted, it releases carbon dioxide, turning a significant carbon store into a major emitter of greenhouse gases, exacerbating climate change.
Nicola Hutchinson, director of conservation at Plantlife, the host organisation for the Peat-free Partnership, said: "There is overwhelming support for the ban on the sale of peat – with major retailers, the horticultural industry, MPs, conservation charities and 95% of the public backing a fully peat-free, sustainable UK horticultural industry.
"We’ve been talking about this for too long. We’re calling on the Government to act now. Let’s legislate and keep peat in the ground and out of our gardens."
Joanna Gluzman, responsible business director at B&Q, said: "At B&Q we have always taken the issue of peat removal within our products very seriously and since 2023 all of the bagged compost we sell has been peat free. We are currently working on removing peat from our nursery plants, so that going forward we can offer a full range of peat free plants by 2026.
"The environmental impact of using peat is well known and we’re committed to working with our growers and to bringing them on the journey to peat-free plants with us. We’re delighted that by helping them to understand B&Q's peat-free commitment, we have led our growers to make great strides forward in working with peat alternatives. As a result, our growers are now seeing more demand for peat-free plants.
"Whilst we’re making good progress to meet our target, we would welcome regulation to ensure progress on such an important topic is maintained so that the use of peat is fully eradicated in the future."
Legislation to end the sale of peat across the UK is needed to provide:
- A legal and enforceable end to peat use, as repeated voluntary targets set by previous governments were consistently missed.
- A level playing-field for the market, so that peat-free companies don’t lose out as they’re continually undercut by cheaper peat-grown, environmentally-damaging products.
- An end to imports and exports of peat, protecting peatlands in other countries as well as here in the UK.
- A catalyst for more sustainable gardening, moving away from reliance on raw materials and artificial inputs, and towards ‘greener’ gardening and a circular economy.