Rising microplastics in soil a threat to UK food security, MPs and campaigners say
Report calls for legally binding targets to cut microplastic pollution as soil ‘is a complex living ecosystem’ The accumulation of microplastics in soil presents an emerging threat to the UK’s food security, according to scientists, MPs and campaigners who have called for legally binding targets to cut microplastic pollution. UK agricultural soils have been identified as among the most…
A recent report has highlighted the growing concern over microplastics in UK soil and the potential threat they pose to the nation's food security. Agricultural soils in the UK have been identified as among the most contaminated in Europe, often due to the use of sludge from water treatment works as fertilizer. The all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on microplastics, led by MP Alberto Costa, has called for legally binding targets to reduce microplastic pollution.
Prof Cressida Bowyer, the report's senior author, emphasizes the complexity of soil as a living ecosystem and the critical role it plays in supporting crop growth, which in turn feeds the population. Microplastics, tiny plastic particles between 1 micrometre and 5 millimetres in size, not only affect soil structure, water retention, and microbial communities but also act as carriers for various contaminants, including harmful chemicals and bacteria.
The report recommends five policy measures, including legally binding targets, regulation of major sources of microplastic emissions, extended producer responsibility, improved wastewater and soil protections, and a national monitoring system.
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