After the collywobbles in the Republic of Ireland about the loss of indigenous peat for the mushroom industry, growers in Northern Ireland have now warned that a peat ban could wipe out NI’s £46 million mushroom industry. Growers have warned a ban on peat proposed in the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ (DAERA’s) new Peatlands Strategy could wipe out the region’s horticultural industry.
David Dallas, representing a major mushroom producer group stressed that despite a considerable amount of research, no commercially viable alternative to peat has yet been identified.
“Until a suitable substitute is available, the loss of peat for mushroom casing will wipe out the mushroom production sector in Northern Ireland – a sector which has a farm-gate value of £46 million and employs 1,000 people,” he said.
