Ailis Watt, peat policy officer at The Wildlife Trusts, says: “It is fantastic to see tangible progress on this critical issue after decades of campaigning. Using peat in gardens is bad news for our climate and leads to the destruction of beautiful wild places on which many of the UK’s rarest and most threatened species depend.
“The ban is expected to apply to around two-thirds of peat currently sold in England. What we need to see now is the Government taking action towards a total ban on peat extraction and its use in horticulture – only then can we put an end to the decline of peatlands both in the UK and further afield.”
Some uses of peat will remain legal beyond 2024, and so it is important to recognise that while Defra’s proposed ban targets a chunk of the UK peat market, it does not eliminate peat use entirely, nor does it directly address the issue of peat extraction.
The Wildlife Trusts are calling upon the UK Government to:
Ban the extraction and commercial trade of peat immediately
Ban all horticultural uses of peat as soon as parliamentary timeframes allow, or by 2024 at the latest
Restore all bogs damaged by the removal of peat by 2035
