HERB - WILDPLACES: DON'T BUY PEAT THIS EASTER

Rachel Holliday rachel.holliday at eu.apbiotech.com
Tue Apr 17 00:02:26 PDT 2001


I got this through over the Easter weekend and thought that it should be
past on.  Please forward it on to any other lists you are on so that this
information is spread quickly and that the fragile ecosystems can stop
being destroyed for profit.
Thanks
Rachel
----- Forwarded by Rachel Holliday/UK/xynet on 17/04/01 07:53 -----
                                                                                                                           
                    owner-chain_of_protection                                                                              
                    @foe.co.uk                       To:     chain_of_protection at foe.co.uk                                 
                                                     cc:                                                                   
                    12/04/01 18:34                   Subject:     WILDPLACES: DON'T BUY PEAT THIS EASTER                   
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           





FOE SAYS DON'T BUY PEAT THIS EASTER!
AS B&Q REFUSES TO SELL 'MISLEADING' MIRACLE-GRO

ACTION: TELL HOMEBASE TO STOP SELLING IT TOO!

Don't buy 'misleading' Miracle-Gro compost this Easter - only purchase
peat-free alternatives. That's the message Friends of the Earth is
taking to gardeners this weekend, at DIY stores and garden centres
across the country. The environment group is calling on retailers to
follow the lead of B&Q which has stopped selling the product. FOE is
also launching a spoof "Miracle-Gone" website (www.miracle-gone.co.uk)
to provide information on the environmental damage caused by the
product.

Miracle-Gro compost contains peat stripped from some of the very best
wildlife habitats in the UK and Ireland [1] - but there is no mention of

its peat content anywhere on the label. FOE believes that this is a
clear attempt by its makers ( Scotts Company) to mislead customers who
don't want to buy peat. According to latest edition of BBC Gardeners
World magazine, a massive 74% of gardeners would now support a peat ban.

The UK's lowland raised peatbogs are amongst the most important and
valuable wildlife habitats we have. They are home to many important
species of birds, a wealth of unusual plants and thousands of rare
insect species. Only a fragment of near-natural bog remains in the UK.

Opposition to the destructive peat industry has hardened dramatically in

the last couple of years. The National Trust, which operates 200 of the
nation's finest gardens, will be completely peat-free by the end of the
year and the prestigious new "Eden Project" was developed without using
peat.

B&Q, which holds 30% of market share in its sector, recently stopped
buying Miracle-Gro compost, citing "commercial reasons". But its bold
decision directly followed briefings from Friends of the Earth on the
environmental impact of the product.

The Government is also moving in on the peat industry, albeit slowly.
Last August the Government said it would designate the largest remaining

lowland raised peatbogs as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) to stop
the sties from being destroyed.

But the US-based Scotts Company is doing everything possible to stop
moves to protect our countryside. Eight months on from the Government's
announcement, the destruction of peat sites continues. Scotts is also
fighting the trend towards peat-free gardening with a massive £2m TV
advertising campaign for Miracle-Gro compost, while hiding from
customers the fact that the product contains peat.

ACTION: Log onto FOE's spoof MIRACLE-GONE website
(www.miracle-gone.co.uk) and send an email to the Chairman of Homebase.
Ask him to follow B&Q's lead, and stop selling Miracle-Gro compost.


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