Most potting soil contains large amounts of peat, which is mined from bogs. The UK government plans to ban the sale of products containing peat. She wants to protect the moors and the environment.
To protect peat bogs in the UK, peaty potting soil may no longer be sold to home gardeners from 2024. This means that the products should no longer be available in garden centers and supermarkets. So far, they account for 70 percent of sales there. A ban is also to be introduced for the horticultural industry. However, no date has been set for this yet. Landowners can continue to extract peat, but the Environment Ministry believes the ban will result in significantly lower demand. Peat from raised bogs is often a component of potting soil because it binds water well and has a high degree of acidity.
"Peatlands are the UK's largest carbon sink, but only about 13 percent of our peatlands are in a near-natural state," said the Environment Ministry in London. Reasons include drainage for agricultural purposes and overgrazing. "When this degradation takes place, the carbon stored in the bog is released as carbon dioxide and contributes to climate change," the ministry pointed out. In total, bogs store around 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon in the UK, more than forests, the BBC reported.
Environmentalists have been calling for tougher protection measures for a long time. The government aims to restore a total of 35,000 hectares of peatlands by 2025 as part of its net zero strategy. The regulation only applies to the largest part of the UK, England. Wales is expected to introduce a similar ban by May 2024. The Scottish regional government has announced such a step, but has not yet given a date. In Northern Ireland, proposals to ban the sale of peaty soil by 2025 have recently been scrapped.
Efforts to water down moor areas are also being made in Germany. In this country, too, many potting soils - including organic potting soil - contain peat from upland moors. According to the Federal Environment Agency, potting soil with compost, wood fibers, clay minerals and lava granules is more environmentally friendly.
