Microplastics in soil threaten UK food security, report says

A report published by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on microplastics says UK agricultural soils are among the most contaminated in Europe, often because of repeated applications of sludge from water treatment works as fertiliser. It argues that with extreme weather caused by climate breakdown already placing new pressures on agriculture, protecting soil from additional and unknown pressures is increasingly important. The report was produced in collaboration with the Women’s Institute.

Alberto Costa, the MP for South Leicestershire and chair of the APPG, said: “Despite the evidence, the UK’s response remains limited. Existing measures tackle only a tiny proportion of microplastic emissions. We urgently need a preventative approach focused on reducing microplastic releases at source to protect human health and food security.”

Prof Cressida Bowyer, director of the Revolution Plastics Institute at the University of Portsmouth and senior author of the report, said microplastics are now found throughout the human body. “Everywhere we look, we find them,” she said. She added that exposure occurs across the whole plastics lifecycle, not just during production and disposal, but also during everyday use of plastic packaging, blankets and chopping boards.

Submissions to the report showed particular concerns about microplastics in soil, which Bowyer said affect the biological, chemical and physical functioning of the soil and its fertility. Plastic particles change soil structure and water capacity, disrupt microbial communities and harm soil fauna such as earthworms, which undergo physiological changes when ingesting them.

Bowyer stressed that soil is not an inert material but a complex living ecosystem. She said microplastics are “not just polymer particles … they’re basically chemical cocktails.” The report notes that more than 16,000 chemicals are used in plastics, about 4,000 are known to be harmful to health, and most of the rest have never undergone safety testing. Microplastics can also attract other contaminants from the environment, including bacteria, heavy metals and viral particles.

The report makes five policy recommendations: legally binding targets for cutting microplastic pollution, regulation of the largest sources of microplastic releases, extended producer responsibility to reduce releases across the plastics lifecycle, improved wastewater, sewage sludge and soil protections, and a coordinated national monitoring and evidence system.

Co-author Dr Antaya March, director of the Revolution Plastics Institute’s Global Plastics Policy Centre, said: “The UK has an opportunity to move from a fragmented response to a coordinated strategy that tackles microplastics across the plastics lifecycle. We should not wait for every scientific uncertainty to be resolved before acting where the evidence already shows that intervention can prevent pollution and reduce future risks.”

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was contacted for comment.