Forestry England among agencies still buying peat, which is UK’s biggest natural store of CO2
Government agencies are still buying peat-based compost even though the environment secretary is planning to ban it, new data has revealed.
Peatlands occupy about 12% of the UK’s land area, and are the country’s largest natural carbon dioxide store, locking in an estimated 3.2bn tonnes of CO2, as well as providing habitats for birds, insects and plants. For years they have been neglected and dug up, and currently just 20% of UK peatlands remain in a natural state.
