Giving Evidence to Parliament: Have Your Say

The Moorland Association will shortly be giving evidence to Parliament on peatlands. We have been invited to appear before the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee as part of its Peatland Inquiry, with the session scheduled for 2.30pm on Wednesday 4th March.

This is a valuable chance to ensure MPs hear directly from those who manage and restore peatland landscapes in practice. Our aim is to put members’ real-world experience on the record - what is working, what is getting in the way, what changes are needed to improve peat condition, biodiversity, climate resilience and rural communities.

What we know so far

We are still awaiting confirmation of the Committee’s final agenda (including the themes it will prioritise). We will post an update on our website as soon as these details are confirmed.

What we expect will be discussed

We anticipate the Committee will focus on practical delivery issues, including:

• restoring peatland condition and maintaining it long-term

• barriers created by regulation, guidance or consenting processes

• how funding and investment can be targeted to deliver measurable outcomes

• water, access, biodiversity and land management trade-offs

• resilience issues, including wildfire risk and prevention

Help us take members’ evidence into the room

To make sure members’ experience is properly represented, we are asking for your examples, evidence and the questions you think Parliament should be asking.

If helpful, you can share your thoughts on any of the following:

1. What are the biggest obstacles to restoring peatland condition on your ground (practical, regulatory, financial)?

2. Which interventions are most effective locally - and what evidence or monitoring supports that?

3. Where do current schemes support delivery - and where do they create cost, delay or perverse outcomes?

4. What does “success” look like in your area (peat condition, water, habitat, wildlife, carbon, wildfire resilience)?

5. What would you change in policy to make outcomes simpler to deliver and easier to sustain?

How to respond (deadline - Sunday evening please)

Please email your input to agilruth@moorlandassociation.org by Sunday evening so we can incorporate it into the evidence we provide.

We appreciate this is short notice, but opportunities like this (putting members’ experience directly in front of Parliament) are rare and should be seized when they arise.

Finally, the time available on the day and the Committee’s line of questioning may limit what can be covered in the oral session itself. If important member concerns cannot be raised in full, the Moorland Association will follow up with the Committee afterwards in writing, where required, to ensure members’ evidence is properly on the record.