As a reluctant capitalist, I acknowledge the extraordinary ability of business to innovate, flex, and get things done. But business will only do what it can make money from and thereby reward shareholders for, while working to increasingly short timeframes. What cannot be measured in money, or will be suffered by future generations, is rarely considered. The role of government, on the other hand, is to set well-researched, administrable rules and frameworks and enforce them rigorously, without fear or favour to sector lobbyists.
These rules must consider the hard-to-measure factors (environmental, social & generational impact etc) that, unless brand-threatening, are generally ignored by business. Which brings me to electric vehicles and peat. A clear roadmap was first set in 2017 to the abolition of the fossil-fuel-powered cars and vans that make up over 20% of the UK’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with specified penalties for manufacturers who failed to reach targets. This drove investment in research, manufacture, and a charging network which business has been extraordinarily effective in delivering. 70% of Riverford deliveries are now made using EVs. If you just stick to the plan and do what was promised, business will adapt; the biggest threat to investment and growth is more often politically-induced uncertainty.
Conversely, four years ago the UK Government committed to banning sales of peat for use within horticulture but have yet to set a date for legislation. The extraction and consumption of peat contributes an estimated 5% to global GHG emissions, leading to climate change, biodiversity loss, and increased risk of flooding. It’s still used because it provides a cheap, convenient, and reliable substrate for raising plants – in our case largely lettuce and tomatoes in blocks where its stickiness has been hard to replace, but replace it we must.
For the last three years, Riverford has been part of a research group developing peat-free alternatives. We’ve had some real success and are investing in further research and development now – we just need government to stick to its word and follow through on the ban. Only then will business do what it always does: innovate, and find another way forward.
Riverford is part of the Peat-Free Partnership, calling for a UK ban on sales of peat within horticulture.
Take action to end peat sales here.
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