The sale of peat for use in the amateur gardening sector will be banned by 2024 to protect peatlands and the natural environment, the Government has just announced.

Friends of the Lake District asked people to respond to the consultation in January this year, and it’s good to see public pressure has finally been brought to bear on the industry which was in the end unable to police itself. Campaign for National Parks, The Countryside Charity (CPRE), the Wildlife Trust and many others have been calling for a ban for  more than 20 years because of the damage peat extraction does to wildlife and climate emissions.  

From the Government website Saturday 27th August:

"The sale of peat for use in the amateur gardening sector will be banned by 2024 to protect peatlands and the natural environment."

“The announcement follows an extensive public consultation, which received more than 5,000 responses with over 95% in favour of government taking action to ban retail peat sales.” Which shows that members who responded have had an impact.

Read the full Government press release here>