Protection plans threaten peat industry
25 August 2000
Protection plans threaten peat industry
By FWi staff
GOVERNMENT plans to include key peatlands in proposals to protect wildlife have created uncertainty in the peat industry, reports the Financial Times.
Land which accounts for 60% of peat extraction areas, is included in 81 planned special areas of conservation.
Areas of England deemed of European importance include the North York Moors, the Manchester Mosses and Ashdown Forest in Sussex.
Campaigners against environmentally damaging peat extraction welcomed the announcement by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.
But the Peat Producers Association said it was too early to predict the impact of the proposal.
Proposed areas have gone out for public consultation and if the EU agrees there will be 576 such sites in the UK.
- Friends of the Earth protest over peat extraction, FWi, 09 April 1998
- Peat fertilisers cash guarantee, FWi, 09 May 1997
- Financial Times 25/08/2000 page 4
- The Guardian 25/08/2000 page 6
- The Independent 25/08/2000 page 2
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