Conservationists estimate that the peat dug out of the ground every year for farming and gardening in the UK releases carbon emissions equivalent to 300,000 extra cars on the road. The government has set the horticulture industry a deadline of 2030 to completely phase out the use of peat compost, though the industry has already missed a deadline of reducing use by 90 per cent by 2010.

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Following the release of its report, the group called for immediate action to be taken to restore and conserve Britain’s peatland. Clifton Bain, director of the IUCN UK's peatlands programme explained, "It's like repairing the roof and avoiding damage to more expensive property inside the house. It will only get worse and more expensive the longer we delay. This isn't the usual plea for more money: there's recognition about why it's worth investing in now."

UK industry moving towards targets

Seamus McKittrick of the RSPB said peat extraction is beginning to wane in the UK as planning permissions for extraction become more difficult to obtain, leading horticultural companies to look elsewhere. However, he said that there is a genuine need to look for real alternatives and not just export the problem.

Mr McKittrick explained, "Peat stores carbon and when you lose peat, through erosion, through extraction, then that carbon is being released into the atmosphere. One of the most important things we need to do is protect these peatlands, which perform almost like a chemistry set; they have an important function and without the peatland, that carbon is not being stored."

The National Farmers' Union has pledged to reduce the amount of environmentally damaging peat used in UK agriculture. The union is encouraging farmers and growers to end their reliance on peat compost, ahead of the Government deadline for phasing it out completely.

However, NFU horticulture advisor Dr Chris Hartfield said that for some uses, such as vegetable transplanting, there is no peat alternative which performs as well. He revealed that the horticulture industry is currently operating at around the 60 per cent peat free mark, with the use of alternatives growing, but variance continuing between different growing methods.

He acknowledged the issue of threats to biodiversity and pollution from peat extraction, but claimed that planning measures could work better than an outright ban on peat. He also said there is currently "insufficient evidence" that many alternatives have a smaller carbon footprint than peat itself.

Whilst building up peatland takes thousands of years – peat can be extremely deep and the lands are home to a host of biologically diverse plants and animals, all of which rely on the unique conditions – when damaged, peat releases its stored carbon extremely quickly. Mr Bain, of the IUCN, reiterated, "Globally, the benefits of these ecosystems beyond just biodiversity are now being understood as high priority."

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