The UK government has consulted on banning the sale of peat in England. The proposed ban, designed to address environmental concerns surrounding the use of peat in horticulture, would not apply in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
The UK government has requested that the Office for the Internal Market (OIM) - which sits within the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) - report on how the proposed ban may impact the effective operation of the Internal Market.
The OIM has considered this request in line with the criteria set out in the UK Internal Market Act and the principles stated in its operational guidance and has accepted the request. It will aim to provide its analysis by February 2023.
OIM Panel Chair, Murdoch MacLennan said:
This request is a significant development for the UK Internal Market and for the OIM. Since the OIM was launched less than a year ago, we have taken important steps to ensure we are ready to perform this new role and our decision to accept this request is another milestone.
We'll now examine any potential economic impacts the proposed ban could have on the UK Internal Market and provide our report within 6 months.
The OIM was launched in September 2021 and published its Overview of the UK Internal Market report in March of this year.
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