Rising microplastics in soil a threat to UK food security, MPs and campaigners say

Microplastics are often shed by the breakdown of everyday plastic items such as synthetic textiles, packaging, paints, cosmetics or car tyres. Photograph: pcess609/Getty Images/iStockphoto

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 contaminated by microplastics in Europe, often as a result of repeated applications of sludge from water treatment works as fertiliser, according to a report published by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on microplastics.