ALL forms of peat will be unavailable for use by amateur gardeners from 31 December 2024 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with Scotland currently in consultation. The industry is still awaiting news from Defra detailing the Government’s final position on the forthcoming peat ban.
When peat use started
Peat extraction for horticulture began on a commercial scale only in the 1960s. In 1990, a consortium of 14 of the UK’s leading main wildlife and archaeological conservation organisations launched the Peatlands Campaign to highlight the damage caused by peat-based industries and to promote the use of alternativesthe Government launched its 25-year Environment Plan, which stated the intention to ban peat use in gardening.