Garden centres to be banned from selling peat compost in bid to limit carbon emissions Legally binding targets to protect animals such as hedgehogs and red squirrels also included in raft of new environmental measures 18 May 2021 • 6:00am Red squirrels and other at-risk animals will be granted new protections under the plans to be announced today Garden centres will be banned from selling peat-based compost under Government plans to protect the natural world and limit carbon emissions, the Environment Secretary will announce on Tuesday. Legally binding targets to protect numbers of at-risk animals such as red squirrels and hedgehogs by 2030 will also be unveiled alongside the trebling of tree planting by the end of 2024.