Peat-Free Pathway Founded To Support Grower Transition

The UK fresh produce sector has joined forces under a new collaborative initiative to coordinate the transition to peat-free horticulture and accelerate sustainable growing practices.

The newly launched Peat-Free Pathway provides an umbrella framework to align research, innovation, and delivery across horticultural supply chains, according to a press release from British Growers. 

The move has been welcomed by industry groups including the Soil Association, Growing Media Association, and British Leafy Salads Association. 

Its goal is to create a clear, pre-competitive approach to removing peat from growing media, while safeguarding productivity, food security, and business resilience. 

Crucially, the Pathway sets out the support required for growers to make the transition and defines realistic timelines based on that support provision.

At its core, the Pathway draws on a suite of Fresh Produce Roadmaps, created in partnership with crop associations. 

These roadmaps outline practical steps, common challenges and innovation priorities for peat replacement across crop categories. 

The mapping process has identified significant progress in certain areas, but also persistent technical and economic barriers that demand coordinated investment, targeted research and shared industry insight.

Claire Donkin, founder of the Peat-Free Pathway and author of the roadmaps, said the industry has reached a “pivotal moment”. 

“There has been considerable investment in peat alternatives, but real barriers for industry transition very much remain,” Donkin explained. 

“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.”

Ensuring minimal disruption to food supply, safeguarding British production, and maintaining competitiveness are central priorities. 

With finite funding available across both public and private sources, the Pathway calls for aligned research and optimally targeted investment. 

The programme seeks to deliver multiple outcomes – supporting food safety, productivity, peatland conservation, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and long-term industry resilience – through collective action and shared planning.

The initiative emerges as policy momentum builds around Defra’s Good Food Cycle, NHS dietary objectives, and the forthcoming Farming and Food Partnership Board’s Horticulture Sector Plan and Farming Roadmap – together offering a critical window for systemic progress in sustainable food and horticultural production.

To promote coordination and prevent duplication, the Peat-Free Pathway has also introduced a Trials Register, inviting growers, researchers and businesses to log peat-free trials aligned with roadmap objectives. 

By increasing visibility of ongoing efforts, the register aims to enhance collaboration, identify research gaps and accelerate shared learning across the sector.

Stakeholders from across the horticultural supply chain are encouraged to register their trials via the QR code below and contribute to shaping a resilient, peat-free future for British fresh produce.

The next major milestone will be the Peat-Free Pathway Launch Event, hosted at Fountain Plants in Boston, Lincolnshire, on 6 October.

Read more about the peat-free pathway here.