The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations recently released its assessment of agricultural plastics and their sustainability – a call for action report. The report presents the results of a study on agricultural plastic products used globally in a range of different value chains including livestock and livestock feed production. The report is based on peer-reviewed science, research reports from governmental and non-governmental organization, as well as from industry experts, including relevant trade bodies states the FAO website. The authors of the report hope the study proves to be a catalyst for discussion about the use of agricultural plastics, their benefits and trade-offs, and ultimately stimulate action to reduce their potential harm to humans and the environment.
In the livestock and livestock feed context, the report keys in on plastics including silage and grain bags and films, bale netting and twine, polymer coatings for seeds and fertilizers, animal ID ear tags, irrigation, and watering piping and more. The report does note a lack of data exists on some plastics and in some regions. The report also notes that globally for just crops and livestock production there is approximately 10.2 million tonnes per year of plastic waste produced. In Canada, the total agricultural plastic waste is estimated to be about 40,000 tonnes per year.
It is CCA policy presently to lobby the federal government to invest in research on the development of environmentally friendly agricultural plastic alternatives.