European Growers Continue to Reduce Peat Use in Horticulture

New figures from the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) show that U.K. growers and plant producers have continued to make substantial progress in reducing peat use, with peat accounting for just 21.8% of growing media in 2025, down from 34.4% in 2024 and 39.5% in 2023. This equates to professional peat levels falling by more than 60% since 2021, when it stood at 56%.

The 2026 HTA Growers Growing Media Usage Survey also found that one-third (33%) of U.K. growers are already peat-free. Businesses across the sector have made significant investments and driven innovation and technical adaptation in recent years, as reflected in the results of this survey. The headline figures demonstrate continued progress despite ongoing uncertainty around future policy and legislative timescales.

The findings reflect the results of collaboration through the supply chain and the innovation, investment, and intensive work of growers and growing media manufacturers. However, while progress has been substantial, the survey results also indicate that the industry is now entering the most challenging phase of the transition. Despite one-third of growers already being peat-free, a significant proportion remains uncertain about when they will be able to achieve 100% peat-free production, with around a quarter unable to identify a timeframe.

The findings show that the biggest challenges for growers moving away from peat are nutrient and fertilizer management, costs and profitability, consistency of peat-free growing media, and irrigation management. Growers reported that fully peat-free growing media could cost around 10% more overall, with individual businesses reporting cost increases of between 5% and 15%, before accounting for expenditure on trials, staff training, production changes, and potential crop losses.

Water management is becoming an increasingly significant issue for many businesses, particularly as growers face hotter summers, prolonged dry periods and growing pressure on water resources. Peat-free growing media often require different irrigation approaches and greater monitoring to maintain optimum growing conditions, meaning the transition is frequently about changing entire production systems rather than simply replacing one growing medium with another.

The findings suggest that the industry is currently facing the most technically complex stages of the transition away from peat. This will increase the need for knowledge transfer support and manageable time frames for growers to successfully navigate these significant challenges. Removing the final proportion of peat use is likely to prove technically complex and will continue to carry costs for growers. Additionally, analysis of crop wastage data found that while average crop wastage across production remained around 9%, variability in crop wastage increased as peat use reduced.

For additional information on the survey’s findings, as well as words from HTA Director of Research & Knowledge Transfer David Denny on current and future levels of peat use, read the full report here.