Michael Gove, Member of Parliament for Surrey Heath, visited Evergreen Garden Care (EGC) in his constituency on Friday 26th April to discuss the importance of consistent industry standards for peat free product quality.
Meeting with Colin Stephens, Evergreen's Managing Director, Gove discussed the company’s continued campaigning for high quality peat-free customer experiences. With a history of fighting environmental causes, and as the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Gove is keen to support campaigns that lead to a greener future, such as the peat ban.
The meeting was held ahead of the Horticultural Peat Private Members Bill discussion in the House of Commons due 17th May. Commenting on his visit to Evergreen Garden Care and the issue at hand, Michael Gove stated: “It was a pleasure to meet the team at Evergreen Garden Care and to hear all about their campaign for a peat ban. Reducing peat usage and restoring our peatlands to health is hugely important, and Evergreen Garden Care has been doing brilliant work promoting peat free gardening. I know my colleagues at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are working towards a peat ban, and I will be in touch with Robbie Moore MP, Minister for Water and Rural Growth, to report back on my visit.”
Evergreen Garden Care has been at the forefront of advocating for peat free gardening practices. Since launching an open letter to DEFRA last September, urging commitment to implement better peat-free growing media standards, the company has led various initiatives to reduce peat usage. Notably, EGC’s Miracle-Gro brand, transitioned to being completely peat-free at the end of 2023 with the Levington brand following 2024. Furthermore, Evergreen Garden Care has been actively campaigning for legislation to establish the Responsible Sourcing Scheme (RSS), aiming to promote sustainability and transparency across the horticulture industry.
Colin Stephens, Managing Director of Evergreen Garden Care, comments, "No matter the outcome following the second bill read in May, the requirement is clear – consumers must have access to good quality, peat-free compost that is kind to the planet as well as gardens. We all have a duty of care when it comes to the makeup of peat-free compost to ensure consumers experience the same quality and product efficacy every time. Whilst there is no current commitment on when the peat-ban will fully come in, the support of Michael Gove’s visit today is one step closer to a wider commitment from the government."
To read more about Evergreen Garden Care’s campaign for the peat-ban, and to read their open letter to DEFRA, visit https://evergreentrade.co.uk/openletter.
