Alexander Nijman Posted June 27, 2012 Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 Well its good they ban peat now! Here in The Nerherlands peat was always used in large quantities for growing potplants and other plants comercially. How many peatbogs have been sacrified for that scandalise practise in the past... Alexander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Bailey Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Dear all Update from the Defra led Peat Task Force. My view is a well balanced report and would be interested to hear your thoughts - good or bad. Chairman’s Report and Roadmap The Chairman of the Sustainable Growing Media Task Force has published today his report and draft roadmap, Towards Sustainable Growing Media. This is available on the Task Force website at: Chairman's report This report sets out the Chairman’s thoughts on the work of the Task Force to date and the challenges ahead as well as presenting a draft roadmap that shows how his proposals can be taken forward into actions. Unlike the Interim Report, this report does not provide a project by project update of progress. Instead the focus is on highlighting observations that have arisen across the piece. Part 1 of the report is a personal take by the Chairman on the current state of the debate and the challenges ahead. Part 2 focuses on setting out emerging messages and observations building on the work of the Task Force focussed around a series of consensus points, although it highlights both areas of agreement and areas where it has not been possible to come to a consensus on the detail. Finally, Part 3 sets out a draft roadmap building on an exercise undertaken by the Task Force at its meeting on 11 May. Disclaimer The Task Force has continued to make significant progress since the publication of its Interim Report in March and there is a great deal of consensus amongst Task Force members in many areas. Naturally, there remain some areas where consensus was harder to find. This report is the chairman’s summary of what he believes is a sensible, commercial and practical way forward and does not represent Government policy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel H-C Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 Playing devils advocate, but if the general population really cared (rather than jumping on a somewhat ill-informed band wagon), would they not be lobbying overseas governments of countries who burn millions of tons of peat every year in peat fired power stations? Ireland, Finland, Argentina, Russia... Far, far more than the comaparatively piddly amount used in the UK horticultural industry. That's where it all goes, and of course for the carbon footprint team, this releases more carbon as its burnt? Then of course I believe most of the vegetables we consume are grown in peat plugs, but that's not mentioned either-perhaps it's too unpalatable for people to acknowledge? Still, it's easier to kick the soft target in the balls, and gives said population something to chew on to keep them out of trouble. Nigel HC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Bailey Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 Playing devils advocate, but if the general population really cared (rather than jumping on a somewhat ill-informed band wagon), would they not be lobbying overseas governments of countries who burn millions of tons of peat every year in peat fired power stations? Ireland, Finland, Argentina, Russia... Far, far more than the comaparatively piddly amount used in the UK horticultural industry. That's where it all goes, and of course for the carbon footprint team, this releases more carbon as its burnt? Then of course I believe most of the vegetables we consume are grown in peat plugs, but that's not mentioned either-perhaps it's too unpalatable for people to acknowledge? Still, it's easier to kick the soft target in the balls, and gives said population something to chew on to keep them out of trouble. Nigel HC Well I asked for the good and the bad. I totally understand where you are coming from, just take a view that we need to do what we can in our patch rather than do nothing based on the actions of others. Of course I would want to do that with commercially viable alternative ingredients that provide plants of comparable quality and cost of production. I hope some quality research will achieve that, or at the vary least help reduce the amount of peat used in composts. Who knows for some cps we may be able to produce better plants. I'm convinced from anecdotal evidence that some of my Sarracenia grow better without peat, but do not have controls/quality of data to back that up. Peat-free grown plants could, at least in the UK, even open up a premium market given time - though I think the economic outlook needs to cheer up first! One to debate over that pint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel H-C Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 Hi Tim, Great, let me know when you're over this way. I agree that with everything we can all do our bit, but my whole point is that the peat argument has been blown out of proportion, with no mention of where 95% of extracted peat is really going. Nigel HC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ada Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 You think we'd be used to blinkered bureaucrats who only tell us half the storey trying to run our lives by now. Even when faced with all the facts and figures they still ignore all common sense approaches and try to ride roughshod over us. How do these people get these jobs in the first place? Don't answer that,i know. Have any of them even grown plants?i doubt it! ada Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Bailey Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 You think we'd be used to blinkered bureaucrats who only tell us half the storey trying to run our lives by now. Even when faced with all the facts and figures they still ignore all common sense approaches and try to ride roughshod over us. How do these people get these jobs in the first place? Don't answer that,i know. Have any of them even grown plants?i doubt it! ada I see a happy B'day is in order! Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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