Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to increase the use of peat replacement products for professional and amateur horticulture.

The Government is committed to continuing to work with the industry to make the transition to peat alternatives and to overcome the barriers to their use. For example, we are jointly funding research with the industry, which includes commercial scale demonstration trials, to overcome barriers to peat replacement in professional horticulture. We have also worked with the industry to develop a Responsible Sourcing Scheme for Growing Media which allows manufacturers and retailers to make informed choices on growing media inputs to amateur/retail products, based on environmental and social impacts. We are continuing to support the industry as they put this scheme into practice.