Due to be read, last week on the 24th of July, the second reading of the bill by Sarah Dyke, Liberal Democrat MP of Glastonbury and Somerton aiming to end the sale of peat in the UK, has been delayed.

Under plans outlined in the Bill, there would be a ban on selling horticultural peat by the end of 2025. At a round table, held on the 22nd of January in preparation for second reading, industry professionals agreed that the uncertainty around dates for peat legislation makes it difficult for businesses to plan for the future. The Bill was ninth on the list to be debated in the House of Commons, which meant that a delay was likely to happen.

“This is another disappointing delay in transitioning to peat free, which is desperately needed to protect peatlands from extraction,” reports the Peat-Free Partnership.

Funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and hosted by the wild plant conservation charity Plantlife, the Peat-Free Partnership is a broad coalition of horticultural businesses and environmental NGOs across the UK , working to end the commercial trade in peat across the UK.