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Peat Facts

It is undeniable - moss peat is wonderful stuff: it's cheap, sterile, lightweight and pleasant to handle, provided you ignore the environmental cost to bogs.

The raised bogs where it forms are found only in the midlands of Ireland. These are being dug out at an alarming rate which, if continued, will destroy many bogs within the next 10 years. Raised bogs provide rich habitats for rare flowers, insects and birds, and sometimes preserve important archaeology. Since the 1940's intensive methods of extracting peat, not unlike mining, have been used by commercial companies to produce moss peat and other garden products.

Moss peat is made from the partly rotted remains of the Bog Moss or Sphagnum plant. More than 14 species are found in Irish bogs

Today less than 8% of the original area of raised bog has been left undamaged. Fourteen sites designated as Natural Heritage Areas and Special Areas of Conservation are currently being mined for moss peat.

Find out more about raised bogs and why they are important

Unfortunately, large-scale modern production has made bog regeneration unlikely, because the land is drained and the living bog surface is removed before the peat is extracted. There is no going back. This destruction is being driven by the demand for moss peat by gardeners. 66% of moss peat mined from raised bogs is bagged and used in private gardens - an alarming statistic.

Using peat compost is one of the most environmentally damaging activities that the gardener can undertake.

It's time to kick the peat habit and help save bogs by following the IPCC's peat-free plan.  

Garden plants don't need peat - wild ones such as sundew, butterwort and bog rosemary that grow in the bog do!

Peat-Free Zones

A few years ago a gardener could find very little but peat in garden centers. Now there is a choice of alternatives available that don't threaten our finite raised bogs. Every bag of peat-free coconut fibre, bark or composted waste material sold means that a bag of peat can stay where it belongs - in the bog!

Choose an alternative peat free garden product in your garden center and make a real difference to the future of our peatlands - without sacrificing your own garden's flowers and produce. A variety of peat free mulches, soil improvers and growing media are available to suit the gardening job in hand.

On the home front the enthusiastic gardener, can make their own worm-bin compost, leaf mould or compost in a compost heap.

Change your gardening habits to keep peat in the bog.

Find out more about Peat Free Products - to buy or to make at home

IPCC's Peat-Free Campaign

IPCC's Conservation Officer will be working to curb the demand for moss peat. We are targeting the moss peat producers, suppliers and users with the following plan of action:

	All instances of illegal extraction of moss peat on raised bogs of conservation value will be exposed and reported.
	Local authorities will be lobbied to sign up to a peatland protection charter - phasing out the use of moss peat and doing more recycling of organic material.
	Information on peat-free compost alternatives and Green Garden Centers selling peat-free products will be distributed to the public.
	The 300 gardens open to the public in Ireland will be invited to declare themselves peat-free zones.
	A point of sale information campaign in leading DIY and Garden Centers will be run.
	Workshops and training will be provided for landscape gardeners, horticulturalists and community groups on composting and the peat-free gardening issue.

No matter what your level of peat involvement is - as a garden center, a garden open to the public, a landscape designer, if you are involved in the horticultural industry or work for the County Council - you can play your part in the IPCC's Peat-Free Garden Campaign by signing the Peatland Protection Charter and going peat-free this year.

We are also asking all responsible gardeners and wildlife supporters to support our peat free plan below.

You Can Make a Difference

By gardening without peat and following IPCC's peat-free plan below, the wild plants and animals that depend on the peat in the bogs can continue to survive. Here's how you can make a difference:

	Make a donation to support the IPCC's Peat-Free Garden Campaign - kicking the habit won't come cheap	Peat-Free Donation Form
	Buy only peat-free soil improvers, composts and mulches	Peat Free Compost Alternatives
	Go peat-free in your garden
	Recycle your garden and kitchen waste to make your own compost and persuade others to do the same	Learn how to make your own compost
	Do not buy plants grown in peat moss	Give me a garden center petition form
	Lobby your local TD and the Ministers for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands to press for government action to protect raised bogs	Give me some pointers for the letter
	Ask the Ministers for the Environment to enforce planning controls on companies currently extracting moss peat on conservation worthy raised bogs and do more to promote organic recycling	Give me some pointers for the letter
	Ask your local County Council to declare itself a peat-free zone and to do more to encourage the composting of domestic and garden waste	Give me some pointers for the letter
	Ask your local garden center to stock peat-free alternatives	Give me a garden center petition form
	If you have a composting tip, or advice for gardeners who are trying to go peat free - why not send it in to us by post or e-mail at bogs@ipcc.ie. The best will be posted to our Peat-free Garden Campaign Help Pages opposite.	Peat-free Garden Campaign Help Pages - for great peat free gardening and compost tips!

Thank you for your support - and remember every bag of peat-free coconut fibre, bark or composted waste material sold means that a bag of peat can stay where it belongs - in the bog!

Fourteen raised bogs were vandalised by peat extraction companies from 1963 to 2001

Find out more about raised bogs and why they are important

Peat Free Products - to buy or to make at home

Sign the Peatland Protection Charter

How you can make a difference and support the Peat-Free Garden Campaign

Use this link to get back to the Peat-Free Garden Campaign Home Page

Irish Peatland Conservation Council Registered Charity Number CHY6829 Copyright © Irish Peatland Conservation Council 2007