How can I support the campaign?
It’s clear that peatlands provide a huge range of ecological and climatic benefits, from sequestering tonnes of carbon to supporting many threatened plants and wildlife like the curlew. Nevertheless, peat extraction for horticulture continues.
In 1999 the UK Biodiversity Action Plan outlined aims for the horticultural industry to be 90% peat-free by 2010. In 2022, only 76% of sold growing mixes sold in the UK was peat-free, with a whopping 950, 000 cubic metres still in circulation. We are now 15 years past that deadline, and still not there. It’s time to end peat sales once and for all.
But there is hope. Legislation is on the horizon. Governments across the UK are discussing finally ending peat sales in horticulture, but we need your help to push them to stop delaying it any longer. Now is the time to lend your voice to the movement; take the 2 easy steps below to keep us on the path to peat-free.
Speak out for peat
Assuming you’ve already sworn off peat, you can help by sharing your views with others. Speak to other local gardeners about going peat-free and share advice. You could set up a group chat to talk about peat-free gardening.
If your local garden centre doesn’t sell peat-free plants, ask them why not and start a campaign with other like-minded local gardeners to persuade them to find new, peat-free suppliers. In the meantime, find a local peat-free nursery or switch to peat-free online suppliers instead. The power you have as a consumer is greater than you think, and the choices you make in buying one bag of compost or peat-free plant today may one day change a whole industry for the better.
If you use social media, share your peat-free wins using the hashtag #EndPeatSales and #peatfree. Make sure to tag us on Instagram and X!
Write to your local politician
Make sure that your parliamentary representatives are speaking up by using our email template to contact them. It’s a great idea to personalise the message with your own feelings about the importance of peat legislation – personal messages are even more effective.
