Peat (Hansard, 25 February 2002)

§ Mr. Sayeed
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps her Department is taking to meet the Biodiversity Action Plan target for the replacement of peat in the horticultural industry by 2010; [34487]
(2) what steps her Department is taking to meet the Biodiversity Action Plan target for replacement of peat in the horticulture industry by 2010. [35380]

§ Mr. Meacher
The Biodiversity Action Plan commits the Government to undertake and promote research and development into sustainable alternatives to peat and provide advice on the development and marketing of peat alternatives. The aim of the plan is for 40 per cent. of the total market requirements to be peat free by 2005 and 90 per cent. by 2010.
Peat is a major constituent of growing media used in gardening and commercial horticulture. It is well suited to a wide range of uses and comes from a variety of sources in the UK, the Republic of Ireland and the Baltic States.
There has already been some substitution of peat by other materials, such as coir and bark, but there are still considerable difficulties to be overcome in producing alternative growing media of sufficiently reliable and consistent quality to replace peat in the full range of its present uses.
We are funding seminars to increase awareness of and to examine the potential for using reduced-peat and peat free alternatives and to encourage growers and others to take them up where they are already available.

§ Mr. Sayeed
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what progress is being made in safeguarding the proposed special areas for conservation of lowland raised peat bogs which are awaiting ratification; [34489]
(2) what progress has been made in safeguarding the environmental interests of the proposed special areas for conservation lowland raised peat bogs that are still awaiting ratification. [35379]

§ Mr. Meacher
Further to my answers of 14 January 2002,Official Report, columns 116-17W, concerning the Hatfield Moor site, I anticipate that English Nature's report on their consultations on the designation of that site and three other sites, together with recommendations to Government, will be presented within the next two months. If justified as Special Areas of Conservation, the sites will be notified to the European Commission and afforded immediate legal protection under national legislation.