REA respond to House of Commons EFRA Committee inquiry on the State of peatland in England.

Defra is due to publish their English Peatland Strategy by the end of this year and in order to inform this document, they have asked for evidence submissions from industry.

The REA calls for the strategy to be linked to a UK-wide Peat Alternatives for Growing Media and Soil Improvers Strategy (or strategies developed by each country within the UK).

The REA appreciates that maintaining the quality of products for the amateur and professional horticulture markets is important and that there is horticulture/growing media industry desire to grow more sustainably. The industry has worked towards overcoming barriers to wider adoption of peat-reduced and peat-free growing media products, especially for the amateur horticulture market, and reducing its impact on peatland degradation. The professional horticulture industry seems unlikely to substantially reduce its use of peat until peat-free growing media are well proven.

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