A private members’ bill to ban the retail sale of peat compost to gardeners is likely to be killed by the government, marking a further row-back on previous commitments to reduce the use of peat in both domestic and commercial horticulture, according to ‘i’.
Boris Johnson’s government pledged to act to outlaw peat sales for domestic use by the end of 2024, but Rishi Sunak has refused to introduce legislation for this parliamentary term. A private members bill (Horticultural Peat: Prohibition of Sale) was proposed by former environment secretary MP Theresa Villiers, but it is thought that it will not get past its second reading this month.
Conservative MP for Christchurch Sir Christopher Chope is one of those who has actively opposed the ban, saying, “Those who have been to plant centres over the past year or so will have noticed that the move to peat-free products has resulted in the quality of those products declining significantly.
“Plant longevity has declined, because they do not have the natural water retention in their pots that is provided by peat, and it cannot be replaced by peat substitutes. The consequence is that it is becoming increasingly difficult for our domestic horticultural industry to cope with the pressures to reduce peat consumption.”
Reacting to the news on social media one soil scientist commented, “And back round we go. So depressing. Anyone remember the Defra Peat Taskforce from around 15 years ago? Simple message: ban domestic use (as there’s no justification to continue use) and work with professional sector to phase out. Not rocket science. I’m looking forward to the day when we have a government that actually governs, rather than issues sound-bites.”
A Defra spokesperson said, “We remain committed to ending the use of horticultural peat across the country. Since we set out our plans to ban the sale of peat in 2022, there has been a 59 per cent reduction in peat use and we continue to work extensively with industry to move towards a peat-free horticulture sector.”