On 3 June 2022, the celebration of the revived Latvian Peat Day took place at the Peat Amphitheatre in Drabinu mire, hosted by “Laflora” to promote public understanding of the importance of peat to Latvia. The tradition of celebrating Peat Day was originally introduced nearly a hundred years ago during the Ulmanis era in regions where peat extraction was most active at the time. To mark the revival of the tradition, the Peat Day participants worked together to create a sculpture out of peat.

The peat extraction and processing company “Laflora” is reviving the Peat Day tradition in Latvia to foster public understanding of peat, its uses, significance and immense potential in building the nation's prosperity, as well as to express gratitude to those working in the peat industry. Peat is a traditionally used, slowly renewable natural resource in Latvia, the volume of which is increasing every year thanks to Latvia's climatic conditions.

The history of the peat extraction and processing industry in Latvia dates back centuries. Peat still has a wide range of uses today – it is used in horticulture as an organic base for growing healthy food, ornamental plants and tree seedlings, for which no more environmentally friendly alternatives have been found. Peat can also be used in the energy sector for heat supply – historically, this was common practice in Latvia and is worth considering even in the current energy crisis. Furthermore, peat is used as a construction material, in art and interior design, in medicine and elsewhere.

The Peat Day participants worked together to create a peat sculpture in honour of the revival of the Peat Day tradition. The creation of the sculpture took place under the guidance of peat artist Edgars Ameriks, while enjoying the music of the outstanding Latvian musician Varis Vetra in the non-traditional, slightly mystical atmosphere of the peat amphitheatre.

Uldis Ameriks, Chairman of the Board of “Laflora”, is convinced: “It is essential that we ourselves in Latvia realise the immense potential of peat and the advantages that peat provides on a global scale! Peat is a Latvian treasure proven over the centuries; we are a peat powerhouse! It is significant that the current prosperity of Western European countries was, in fact, built precisely on mires and peat. I urge you to use this God-given resource wisely, sustainably and in a balanced way between the interests of the environment and society! We must use our peat resource more intelligently than Western Europe has, as they have completely destroyed their own mires and now wish to unjustifiably deny us the use of peat and mires as well.”

Peat Day traditions of the Ulmanis era

In pre-war Latvia, the state not only organised peat extraction but also encouraged its widespread use. The annual Peat Day events, which were organised in a different region each year during the 1930s, were attended by thousands of people – peat producers, users and interested parties. There were demonstrations of various equipment and work methods, excursions to mires, the awarding of industry honours, exhibitions, orchestral performances and even Peat Day church services.

For reference

• The first reports of peat extraction in Latvia date back to the second half of the 17th century. Peat was extracted for fuel throughout the territory of Latvia. Later, around the beginning of the 20th century, peat began to be used for bedding and soil improvement;

• The first publication on peat extraction and use in Latvia was published in 1797.

• Initially, peat was dug with spades as peat bricks in undrained mires; in the mid-19th century, the first peat extraction machines, powered by horses or steam, appeared. At the end of the 19th century, mires began to be drained for peat extraction;

• Before the First World War, peat was dug in more than 300 mires, most often in small volumes for the heating of one or two farms and for use in agriculture;

• Intensive peat extraction and research into mires only began after the establishment of the independent state of Latvia;

• In 1920, the Peat Utilisation Board was established, which began producing peat fuel on a large scale using government funds.

• Systematic mapping of mires was started in the 1920s, when the Department of Mire and Peat Utilisation was founded at the University of Latvia, which later became the Mire Institute;

• Between 1930 and 1950, the state established several large enterprises for peat extraction, such as the “Misa Peat Factory”, “Olaine Peat Factory”, “Seda” and others.

• Historically, the greatest demand for peat has been in the energy sector (Riga TEC-1) and for agricultural bedding. After 2003, when the use of energy peat at TEC-1 was discontinued, the industry reoriented itself to extract and process peat for horticulture and forestry.

• Mires cover 10% of Latvia's territory, while peat extraction takes place on only 4% of the total peat deposit territory.
  (Source: A. Snore “Peat Extraction”)