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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with stakeholders on the development of the England Peat Strategy.

The Government has worked closely with stakeholders in the development of the England Peat Strategy over the past two years. In the Summer, we launched a targeted online questionnaire requesting responses to our policy discussion document. We also held a series of roundtable discussions across a broad range of stakeholders. The feedback received through these exercises is being incorporated into the Strategy.

We announced the imminent launch of the Lowland Agricultural Peat Task Force in December, which will bring together stakeholders across the agricultural and environmental sector, to deliver recommendations for a more sustainable future for lowland peatlands under agricultural management.