Are we preparing for a peat-free

This was the question the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) tried to answer in a panel session on Thursday, 15 June, at GreenTech RAI Amsterdam.

The industry is united in wanting to create a more sustainable sector to meet the needs of future generations. Growing media is an integral component of container-grown plant production and has come under increasing scrutiny relating to its environmental impact. Since the 1990s, growers in the UK have been faced with pressure from campaigners and the Government to reduce the use of peat. Recently the UK government has decided to bring forward its ban on the commercial use of peat in plant production from 2030 to 2026. This move will force the sector to move to peat-free production much more quickly than expected. Many factors will make this transition difficult, including the availability, quality and cost of alternatives and the research required to produce quality plants in alternatives. Other European countries are also being challenged in this area and are active in seeking sustainable growing media solutions. As in the UK, Europe has a mix of views and opinions on this topic.

The position of Growing Media Europe (GME) is quite firm in still supporting the ongoing use of peat and other materials. They have done much research on Life Cycle Analysis and made the point that Europe can meet the rising demand for food and meet other environmental requirements without using peat as a material that ticks all the other boxes, just isn’t there yet.

Manufacturers showed a more proactive approach. It was interesting to hear Klassman MD Moritz Boeking on the panel and it is clear that his company is and has been doing extensive research on alternatives and even with innovations like artificially grown sphagnum.

They see the writing on the wall for peat in Europe, yet they are more confident in a longer-term and less urgent transition than in the UK. The transition in the UK has hardly been rushed either, as the government has been wanting to remove peat from horticulture for 30 years. However, implementing it has been impossible because the commercial drivers were not there. The legislation was always going to be the only way to ensure