There has been a dramatic drop in the amount of peat used in compost according to new report led by the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) and Growing Media Association (GMA). The shift is because of UK suppliers, growers and retailers working together to develop new products and alternatives.
The annual Growing Media Monitor indicates that the use of peat in the retail sector fell from 35.5 percent in 2020 to 29.8 percent in 2021.
During the same period, wood-based alternatives in compost used by UK consumers overtook peat for the first time.
Meanwhile, 2021 saw the most substantial reduction in the use of peat by commercial growers in a decade. They grow the plants and trees sold for our gardens, streets & parks, and which provide fruit, herbs, salads and veg seedlings, and peat fell from 62.3 percent to 51.7 percent.
James Barnes, chair of the HTA said: “These findings demonstrate that our industry is making dramatic and effective strides to voluntarily reducing peat use and that industry led initiatives are already making great progress. We have committed to the removal of peat from compost in retail as early as 2025 and we continue to work with the government on finding pragmatic solutions for a transition to peat-free products. However, to allow us to accelerate this progress we urgently need the government to put its energies into addressing the barriers to alternatives rather than legislating for a goal that the industry is well on track to meeting.”
There are still significant challenges to removing peat from some horticultural crops in Britain and critical to the success of the transition is the availability of alternatives. For example, while the use of wood-based materials has increased, competition and demand from other industries is a considerable barrier. Use of coir fell in 2021 compared with 2020 as shipping routes from India were disrupted during the pandemic, which also illustrates some of the vulnerabilities in the supply chain of peat alternatives to the UK.
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Posted On: 02/08/2022