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Sales up by 49% compared to previous nine years, despite being closed for Easter Sunday
Thanks a million to you all from Peter Seabrook
Derek Bunker adds his thanks to suppliers for "their efforts throughout this amazing period in garden centre history"
Easter thank you to growers, manufacturers & distributors from British Garden Centres
Hozelock unveils new sprayers range for 2021
Plymouth Garden Centre installs WinRetail system
Hamac Trading offers complete display solution to make Christmas special
Garden Centres re-open in Scotland... and it snows!
Wildlife Trusts call for immediate end to peat sales
Immediate ban on peat use unrealistic, says HTA
March sales break all records
East Yorkshire garden centre sells for £1.5m
Dobbies unveils Spring advertising campaign
Wyevale Nurseries sees record sales in all sectors
Plant sales soar to record high
National Plant Show 2021 postponed
Blue Diamond Group announces exclusive partnership with The Soil Association
Flymo and Gardena partner with Evergreen
Ball Colegrave introduces 2021 Autumn Portfolio
Bradstone launches first low carbon paving range
Scatter seeds for a brighter year ahead, says Seedball
Garden centre invests in leadership skills training
Inside Outside... A New Beginning for the garden market - Read GTN's March Issue on-line now
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
GIMA Charity Golf Day returns this summer
Garden centre chef fakes invoices totalling more than £14,000, court hears
Garden reunions set the pace for product sales
Mad March sales for growing media
Wild Bird Care up by 11%
PlantSavers deliver more than just plants
D-Grade Fibre trays extended
Haddonstone recognised in leading industry awards
The GIMA Awards are back!
George brings the first-ever RHS kids’ clothing line to Asda stores
Royal Horticultural Society calls on public to help map sweet chestnut trees
The best of last week's
Garden centres report busiest ever day as gardens are the focus for family re-unions this week - More comments added
Suez Canal blockage causes further delays for garden furniture
Cherry Lane acquires Langford Garden Centre
little dobbies opens its doors in Bristol
DJ Turfcare responds to Monty Don’s call to stop mowing our lawns
Barton Grange Christmas 2020 - Exclusive GTN Xtra Photo Tour
Squires Badshot Lea - Christmas 2020
Perrywood at Christmas 2020 - with correct photo gallery now...
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Vet charity urges pet owners to be vigilant over Easter
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Wildlife Trusts call for immediate end to peat sales

 

A new survey shows that only one of 20 leading garden retailers contacted by The Wildlife Trusts reported that it would eliminate peat from its shelves this year – and the survey reveals an overall lack of ambition by retailers to set targets to end peat sales. Last year, the voluntary target set by the Government to end sales of peat composts to amateur gardeners was missed.

 

This year the Government will decide if new legislation is needed to end peat use in the horticultural sector – but there is still no sign of their long-awaited peat strategy. The Wildlife Trusts are now calling for an immediate end to sales of peat compost – further delay will cause continued destruction of peatlands worldwide.

 

Calls to end peat use began over 30 years ago when people began to realise that peatlands are priceless – recognising them as precious places for wildlife, and more recently as habitats which capture and store carbon if managed well.

 

Some retailers are doing notably better in moving away from peat than others: of the 11 out of 20 retailers that responded to the survey, all now offer peat-free composts as part of their range, and none sell soil improvers or mulch containing peat. Travis Perkins and Wickes were the only two retailers to declare an end-date for peat sales – Travis Perkins by this year, and Wickes by 2025. But while a further few plan to end peat sales in the future, no dates have been specified and others have no clear commitments at all. Just four reported stocking ranges of peat-free plants.

 

Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts says: “Our survey shows that most retailers’ approach to the voluntary ban on peat sales has been woeful – even though the industry has been aware of the problem for decades. The time for voluntary agreements is over – the sale of peat must end now. Countless promises have been broken, and targets missed with the result that precious peatland habitats are still being unnecessarily destroyed in the name of gardening.

 

“Peatlands are vital wildlife habitats and it’s absolutely crucial that they remain intact to help us tackle climate change. The Government can ensure that these important carbon stores function as nature intended by banning peat sales now.

 

“Only one leading retailer – Travis Perkins – is planning to eliminate peat from its shelves by 2021, whilst growers like Hillier demonstrate that you can produce compost and grow high-quality plants without peat. These retailers are to be congratulated, but we now need Government to make the rest follow their lead. The time for delay and excuses is over.”

 

The Wildlife Trusts’ survey found:

  • Around 90% of Travis Perkins’ compost sales were peat-free in 2020 and the retailer is planning to go 100% peat-free during 2021. Wickes plan to phase out peat by 2025. These were the only two in the survey who set a date for ending peat sales.
  • B&Q, Hillier, and the Blue Diamond group of Garden Centres said they were committed to phasing out peat completely but gave no date.
  • Asda, Lidl and others have set themselves targets to reduce peat sales, but not yet to end them. Asda will remove peat from their own-brand products by 2030.
  • Four retailers stock peat-free plants: B&Q, Blue Diamond group, Hillier and Asda.
  • Hillier’s tree production is already peat-free, and the company are aiming for production of all other plants across their nurseries to be peat-free for 2022.
  • Of those who gave details of their peat-free items, all are offering at least one peat-free compost, and as products containing peat are usually cheaper to buy, several are price-matching these so that eco-conscious customers are not disadvantaged.
  • Last year B&Q launched their new peat-free compost made with coir and other ingredients. Hillier garden centres also introduced their own peat-free compost, and will be selling ‘Bloomin’ Amazing’, the by-product from an anaerobic digestion plant that provides eco-friendly heat, gas and electricity to 56,000 homes in Dorset. Wickes are launching a new peat-free product this year.
  • Blue Diamond stores stock 22 different peat-free growing media products, some of which are trials of new items at selected stores.
  • Half of the retailers contacted did not reply, and some that did respond were unable to answer all our questions.

 

Ten years ago, the Government set a voluntary target for the horticulture sector to end sales to gardeners by 2020 and to end professional use of peat, for example, in plant growing, by 2030. As this approach has failed, The Wildlife Trusts now believe that retailers should end consumer peat compost sales immediately and the target for professional growers should be brought forward to 2025. Monitoring showed that in 2019, peat still made up over 40% by volume of the growing media sold in the retail sector despite the 2020 target, whilst total peat use in horticulture (retail, professional and export) stood at over 2 million cubic metres.

 

Investment in alternatives is required to help retailers move away from peat, and a ‘Responsible Sourcing Scheme’ has been established to ensure that alternatives don’t come with their own eco-problems. Peat-free composts are now more widely available than ever and many give excellent results, with good advice also available on making your own compost at home. This means that although peat extraction is by no means the only cause of damage to our peatlands, it is one of the easiest to prevent.  

 

The Wildlife Trusts ask people to show the Government that they care by taking a ‘peat free pledge’ at wildlifetrusts.org/ban-sale-peat and also to support an immediate ban on peat-based products. Everyone is urged to check information on packaging to ensure that garden purchases are free of peat.

 

Pictured: Peat Bog, courtesy Mark Hamblin 2020 Vision

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Mark Yates Yates
once again blame the retailers! its the customers who buy the compost, if they only bought peat free, we would only sell peat free. and what about the carbon costs from importing coir?
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