Peat is sometimes referred to as bog and is predominantly found in upland areas. It is formed in waterlogged areas, where there is no oxygen to break down vegetation. This creates layers of rich organic matter full of carbon. But it’s a slow process! It can take up to 100 years for 1 metre of peat to form. So, it’s critical that peat remains where it belongs – in the ground! Sadly, this isn’t the case at present. Instead, garden centres sell bags upon bags of peat compost and plants potted in peat.

What’s the problem?

When peatlands are drained, the carbon is released as greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. That is why it is important to keep peatlands wet; otherwise, they emit rather than store carbon. Unfortunately, most of the peat in Wales is in poor condition and is slowly releasing its carbon. In the UK over 20 million tonnes of carbon dioxide is lost to the atmosphere from damaged peatlands – that’s twice as much greenhouse gas emissions than from aviation!

Peat is not only important for its carbon-storing properties but is also home to rare and threatened wildlife. Without peat, we risk losing enigmatic wildlife such as golden plover and hen harriers. Peat also holds the secret to adapting to our changing climate. Our weather is changing from unseasonably hot summers to more severe and frequent storms. If given a chance, peat can help, as it holds up to five times its own weight in water. It is essentially a giant sponge that can help alleviate flooding by holding back floodwaters.

What needs to be done?

Although Wales has stopped digging up peat, we still enable UK and other global peat resources to be destroyed by buying it. Over 3 million cubic metres of peat is sold for horticulture each year in the UK, a third from UK peatlands.

Sadly, Welsh Government can’t stop the sale of peat as all matters on trade are reserved (not a devolved power). Therefore, a new law to ban the sale can only come from the UK Government. Despite Welsh Government joining the UK consultation, which seeks views on a possible ban – it doesn’t guarantee it will happen. Even if it does, it won’t happen until 2024! This is after a decade of encouraging retailers to voluntarily stop selling peat-based products by 2020. They have failed to meet this challenge, but you can make a difference by asking retailers to stock peat-free compost. We also need to ask local authorities and Welsh Government to stop buying peat compost.

A recent survey by The Wildlife Trusts showed that only one leading retailer contacted is taking this seriously and is planning to eliminate peat from its shelves. Only a handful of forward-looking growers are demonstrating that you don’t need peat to produce compost or to grow high-quality plants.

It’s important that people in Wales tell the UK and Welsh Governments that they want a ban on the sale of peat now – not later. At COP 26, the message was clear; the time for action is now.