Wednesday 4 March 2026,
14.30, Committee Room 8, House of Commons
On Wednesday, MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee will
examine the rich world of peatlands.
Holding up to one-third of the world's soil carbon – twice that
of the world's forests – peatlands are vital wetland ecosystems
that can store greenhouse gases for millennia. In the UK,
peatlands store around 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon and help to
protect landscapes from drought and flooding. Last year's
Environmental Improvement Plan committed to restoring 250,000
hectares of peatland in England by 2050.
However, 80% of England's peatlands are currently degraded and
one study in 2025 placed the UK only twelfth for peatland
protection out of 28 countries with at least 15,000 km2. This
leaves them vulnerable to damage from livestock grazing, farming
and pollution.
In the session, MPs will explore the current health of the UK's
peatlands and consider how they contribute to the UK's climate
and nature goals. They are likely to ask witnesses about
Government policies on peat, such as the commitment to ban the
sale of horticultural peat and expansion of the ban on burning
peat.
Witnesses
Panel one, from 14.30:
- Sally Nex, Advocate, The Peat-free Partnership, Plantlife
- David Denny, Director of Research & Knowledge Transfer,
Horticultural Trades Association
- Andrew Gilruth, Chief Executive, Moorland Association
Panel two, from 15.30:
- Gabrielle Edwards, Deputy Director of Access, Landscape,
Peatland and Soils, Defra
- Alan Law, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer,
Natural England
- Craig Rockliff, Head of Biodiversity Data, Nature Regulation
& Peatland, Environment Agency
