Initiative will be backed by a series of Fresh Produce Roadmaps
A new collaborative UK initiative has been launched to help coordinate the transition to peat-free horticulture.
The Peat-Free Pathway is described by organisers as an umbrella programme to align research, innovation and delivery across horticultural supply chains, creating a clear, pre-competitive approach to removing peat used for growing media, while protecting productivity, food security and business resilience.
It also aims to identify support needed for any transition and the timelines required based around that support provision.
The British Leafy Salads Association, British Herbs, Brassica Growers Association, Plant Propagators Limited, and the UK Mushroom Growers Association have all put their support behind the initiative.
The pathway is built around a suite of sector-specific Fresh Produce Roadmaps developed with crop associations and setting out the practical steps, shared challenges and innovation priorities required to deliver peat replacement across different crop categories.
The road mapping process has identified both substantial progress and clear remaining barriers that require further public and private funding, targeted research, shared insight and aligned action, organisers explained.
Claire Donkin, founder of the Peat-Free Pathway and coordinating author of the roadmaps, said: “We have reached a pivotal moment. There has been considerable investment in peat alternatives, but real barriers for industry transition very much remain. Much of what remains to be solved sits in the pre-competitive space.
”The Peat-Free Pathway creates the framework to align stakeholders behind a sector plan – one that creates a level playing field, ensures smaller businesses are not left behind, and clearly explains growers’ needs across the different stakeholders engaged in this issue.”
Next steps
Minimising disruption to food production, safeguarding British on-shore production and a level playing field to maintain UK competitiveness is critical, Donkin stressed.
To support coordination and reduce duplication, the Peat-Free Pathway has also launched a Trials Register, inviting growers, researchers and businesses to log peat-free trials against the roadmap steps.
The register will improve visibility of ongoing research, encourage collaboration, identify gaps and overlaps, and accelerate shared learning, Donkin said.
The next major milestone will be a Peat-Free Pathway Launch Event, hosted at Fountain Plants in Boston, Lincolnshire on 6 October. The event hopes to bring together growers, retailers, researchers, policymakers, investors and supply chain partners to review roadmap priorities, identify cross-sector research needs, explore governance and funding models, and strengthen alignment across the value chain.
Anne Rees, head of horticulture at The Soil Association, welcomed the launch of the pathway and roadmaps. “This is exactly the kind of coordinated, pre-competitive action the sector needs to accelerate the transition away from peat while safeguarding British growers, productivity and long-term resilience,” she said.
”By bringing research, growers and supply chain partners together behind a shared plan, this initiative has real potential to drive system-wide progress.”
Simon Blackhurst, chair of the Growing Media Association, said: “The horticultural industry has been working hard to remove peat from its supply chains, however there are sectors where more work is required to overcome technical and commercial difficulties.
“Knowledge sharing and a collaborative approach are fundamental to the success and the Peat Free Pathway roadmaps clearly set out tangible steps to further the transition. We look forward to supporting and offering expertise to aid the change.”
And Nick Ottewell, peat sub-group lead for the British Leafy Salads Association, said: “For British Leafy Salads, the transition away from peat is not theoretical – it affects crop performance, automation systems, cost of production and ultimately supply reliability.
”Having a clear, structured roadmap gives our members visibility of what needs to happen next and where the real technical priorities lie. The Peat-Free Pathway creates the collaborative environment we need to solve shared challenges without duplicating effort, and that is essential if British growers are to remain competitive through this transition.”
