Regulation ‘killing’ the horticulture industry

"Diminished supplies of peat from existing stockpiles and the costs associated with peat imports increases the challenge for the sector."

The peat that is currently being used in Ireland is being sourced both in Ireland and imported.

60% of the value of Irish horticulture is dependent on the use of peat, with issues around its supply - due to regulation - “killing” the industry, politicians have warned.

Speaking at the Oireachtas joint committee on agriculture, food and the marine this week, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Pippa Hackett acknowledged that extraction of peat for the Irish professional horticultural industry in recent years has been “challenging” from a legal and regulatory perspective.