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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's consultation on Ending the retail sale of peat in horticulture in England and Wales, what steps he is taking to ensure tree and plant growers (a) can remain competitive globally and (b) are able to meet the demand of the domestic horticulture industry.

The Government has always been clear about the need to end the use of peat and peat-containing products in horticulture in England. A voluntary approach was first introduced in 2011, but has not succeeded. The Government therefore published a full consultation on banning the sale of peat and peat-containing products in the amateur sector by the end of this Parliament in England and Wales. The Government also asked for any evidence stakeholders can provide on the impacts of ending the use of peat and peat-containing products. We will publish our response to this consultation in due course.

We have worked with the horticulture industry to develop a Responsible Sourcing Scheme for Growing Media, which allows manufacturers and retailers to make informed choices of growing media inputs to peat free products, based on environmental and social impacts. We continue to support industry in their efforts to go peat free, including providing over £1 million for a project to provide the necessary applied science to help underpin the development and management of alternative growing media.