The NFU has submitted its response to the Government Consultation on Statutory Manufacturer Responsibility for non-packaging farm plastics.
Manufacturer responsibility would mean that companies manufacturing and/or importing non-packaging plastics such as silage wrap, baler twine crop cover, polytunnel film etc. would be given a statutory obligation to fund the collection, recycling or disposal of these materials they place on the market. Farmers purchasing non-packaging products would then be entitled to deliver their waste plastic to a participating collection hub in their local area for no charge. Some of these recycling/disposal costs would be passed on to farmers as they would become internalised in the price of the plastic product. Unlike a former, voluntary industry scheme in the 1990s that collapsed because of importer undercutting, these proposals would be statutory and enforceable.
The proposals only apply to non-packaging plastics. Packaging plastics such as pesticide containers, fertiliser & seed bags are not included due to the existing Packaging Regulations.
It's a move the NFU has generally supported, but one which has come several years too late and now proposed in flawed form so we no longer feel confident that the model proposed by Defra would deliver genuine cost benefits to members. Whilst the NFU remains supportive of the general principle of manufacturer responsibility, we no longer supporting the proposals.
Find out more by downloading our consultation response on the right hand side of the page
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