HTA attends Defra Ministerial Roundtable on horticultural peat

26 April 2023

The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) Chairman James Barnes, and Director of Public Affairs, Jennifer Pheasey today (26 April) attended a Defra Ministerial Roundtable, with Trudy Harrison MP. The roundtable, organised by Defra, brought together representatives from both membership organisations and businesses in horticulture. It followed the March 2023, Defra Blog setting out the intention to bring forward the professional ban date from 2030 to 2026 with limited exemptions.

 

James Barnes commented, “At today’s meeting with the Minister, I set out the need to recognise the sector’s achievements in moving away from peat already and its commitment to a sustainable transition. But the momentous challenge of the new 2026 deadline is that it is sudden, arbitrary and unworkable. It is likely to have a significant impact on the entire horticultural industry supply chain. This will come at a significant economic cost, will result in significant range reductions for Britain’s 30 million gardeners and will hold back the industry’s capability to underwrite the Governments own climate change ambitions. Government must engage further and understand the substantial risks and focus on the need for supporting a transition to peat-free that can deliver growth for UK horticulture – these issues are many and varied, from consistency in quality alternatives to R&D to handling of imports and water use”.

 

Image Copyright: North Hill Nurseries