On Tuesday 16th April, former Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers MP introduced a Horticultural Peat: Prohibition of Sale Bill to Parliament. Speaking to MPs in the House of Commons, Ms. Villiers made the case for a ban on peat sales in England this year.
Private Members Bills like this can be brought to Parliament by backbench members of the House of Commons or House of Lords. However, as these are non-Government bills, they are allocated limited Parliamentary time. This results in a very small number actually becoming law each year.
So, what now?
Last week, MPs voted the Horticultural Peat Bill through to second reading, which has been scheduled for 17th May. This means that the Bill joins the end of a long queue of those also awaiting further readings. With just four days left allocated for the debate of Private Members Bills this year, it’s unlikely that there will be sufficient time for the Horticultural Peat Bill to pass through the required stages that would allow it to become law.
This means that we need the UK Government to act. If the UK Government does not take this bill forward, thereby carving out Parliamentary time for its passage, it will fail to deliver on what is surely one of its most popular policies. (Reminder: 95% of respondents to Defra’s 2022 peat consultation indicated their support for a sales ban.)
We cannot afford to lose momentum on this. The damages wrought by peat extraction have been well understood for decades, and its use should have been outlawed a very long time ago. Many British gardeners and professional growers are already boycotting peat and have done so for some time. Peat-free alternatives are readily available and have been proven to be of equal, if not better, quality than their peat-based counterparts.
Recent polling from The Wildlife Trusts has revealed that nature is a non-partisan issue, meaning that voters on the left and the right feel similarly connected to and dependent upon nature.
With a general election looking set for this autumn, time is running out. The Government has demonstrated it can readily find Parliamentary time to pass legislation when it wants to, so now is the time to bring forward a Bill to ban the use of peat.
If it fails to deliver on its promise to ban the destructive trade in horticultural peat, what signal does this send to the British public about the UK Government’s ability to address the much greater challenges that lie ahead?
The Wildlife Trusts’ brand new Hidden Peat campaign aims to expose where peat may be lurking in shops and garden centres – from potted houseplants to trays of mushrooms. To find out more and to sign up to be a Peat Inspector, click here.