How Dalefoot is saving the earth with clever composts and peat bog restoration
Coupled with fully-traceable Dalefoot is their Barker & Bland venture. One of the UK's most experienced peatland restorers with 45,000 hectares revived to date, the business reverses the damage caused by extraction, over grazing and climate change through its partnerships with environmental heavyweights such as Natural England, NatureScot, the RSPB and wildlife trusts. Read More Co-operative Bank goes to Coventry in £780m takeover
Healthy peatlands can store 20 times more carbon than trees and 'restore the bog from within the bog is our ethos. We hold a patent for an innovative method of bare peat restoration, the most carbon emitting part of a degrading bog, so instead of carbon release into the atmosphere there is carbon storage,' declares Barker. Their work planting sphagnum moss on fragile landscapes such as blanket bogs in Scotland and the north of England is painstaking and complex. 'We shun carbon hungry helicopters and use our own specifically designed and fabricated machinery,' says Barker. 'Engineering specialist equipment lighter than a human footprint is needed because surfaces are so delicate.' A £2.1 million group turnover is forecast for 2026/27 and a lighter pellet format compost is in the pipeline. 'This will save on plastic and transport costs,' explains Bland and he and Barker consider a move into river restoration.
Future proofing is now a top priority as the business works with the RSPB to deliver bog restoration across all fronts. 'Biodiversity, water quality, flood management, not just carbon but deep-rooted change not sticking plaster,' spells out Barker whose top compost-buying tip is to avoid those containing low nutrient coir. www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk
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