S13 - Session P1 - Survey on micro- and nano-plastics in agricultural soils in Europe

Authors: Sheila Hofer, Anja Vieweger, Joelle Herforth-Rahmé *

The accumulation of plastic is a worldwide problem and agricultural soils are no exception. The EU project MINAGRIS (Micro- and Nano-Plastics in Agricultural Soils) was launched in 2021 to study the extent of plastic presence in European agriculture as well as its consequences. The consortium of MINAGRIS will therefore analyze the issue of plastics in an experimental and socio-economic level in Europe and will provide recommendations for sustainable plastic use on farm and field level. In this study, we investigate the intentional and unintentional input of plastic in 11 Case Study Sites (CSS) across Europe and link it to the typology of farms. Each CSS consists of an average of 10 farms which responded to a two-step interview. The interview was intended to determine the personal awareness of the interviewee regarding plastic, their exact use and indirect sources of plastic on their farm, the measures they take to minimize plastic use and/or residues on farm, as well as potential regional or national initiative tackling plastic residue in agriculture. General farm information was also collected, such as location, farm size, main crop or the fertilizer regime. This should enable the identification of patterns in the use of plastic. The analysis is meant to provide a basis for the experiments in MINAGRIS, but above all an understanding of the current plastic situation on European agricultural land.