Question Period Note: PLASTIC USE IN AGRICULTURE AND AGRI-FOOD

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Plastic Use in Primary Agriculture

In 2021, Canadian primary agriculture used close to 62,000 tonnes of plastics in the process of growing crops and raising livestock. Common uses are fertilizer and pesticide containers, grain bags, silage wrap, baling twine, greenhouse construction, crop mulches/covers, polymer coated seeds and fertilizers, irrigation systems, crates for crop collecting and tile drainage. Plastics provide producers with an economical and reliable way to extend their growing season, increase storage, reduce inputs like pesticides and fertilizers, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve yield and preserve feed.

Efforts to improve the management of plastic waste on farms have focused on collaboration with Cleanfarms, a national not-for-profit industry stewardship organization that has programs in place across Canada to recover and manage non-organic and mostly plastic, farm waste. In 2019-2020, Cleanfarms received federal funding for projects aimed at building a Canada-wide zero plastic waste strategy, including for a two-year project (2019-2021) from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) Zero Plastic Waste Initiative and a four-year project (2020-2024) through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Canadian Agricultural Strategic Priorities Program.

In addition to on-farm plastic waste, microplastics can accumulate in soil, including biosolids applied as fertilizers or polymers used for encapsulation of pesticides, fertilizers, seed coatings, and soil conditioners. The science on microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils and related concerns about the potential impacts is a continuing field of study, including research on the identification of microplastics on farms, and any potential viable solutions. AAFC continues to work alongside ECCC, the lead regulatory body on Zero Plastic Waste, to better understand the impacts of plastic pollution on soil. There are no regulations or initiatives in place to reduce or mitigate microplastic accumulation in Canada’s farm soil.

Plastic Use in Food Packaging

The majority of food and beverages sold at grocery stores are packaged in single-use plastic, accounting for a third of all plastic packaging in Canada, 700,000 tonnes of plastic used annually, and 10% of total plastic consumption in Canada. Plastic food packaging is used to improve shelf life, for convenience, for marketing purposes and to maintain quality and safety of food products during transportation and storage. The food industry is the second largest user of plastics in manufacturing, second only to the transportation sector.

The wide variety and complexity of plastic food packaging limits recyclability and can contaminate recycling streams. There are growing concerns over microplastics that are generated when these items degrade in the environment and could cause harm to ecosystems and human health. As a result, plastic waste from food packaging is being raised with increasing frequency, including in meetings with industry, US representatives, and international bodies like the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Additionally, the United Nations Environment Program is spearheading an effort to develop an international treaty on plastic pollution prevention, which may implicate agriculture and agri-food.

While AAFC has no programming dedicated to food packaging, AAFC has provided financial support through AgriInnovate (one project) and the Food Waste Reduction Challenge (two projects), aimed at using agricultural waste to make bioplastic packaging. AAFC has also conducted its own research related to bioplastics.

Plastic Pollution Reduction Measures in the Agriculture and Agri-Food Sector

ECCC is working towards an ambitious agenda to reduce plastic waste in all sectors of the economy through regulatory and non-regulatory measures. Initiatives aimed at reducing plastic are not expected to significantly impact the primary agriculture sector, however these measures could have a significant impact on the food industry.

Proposed measures (under development):
• Requirement for minimum levels of recycled post-consumer plastics for beverage containers and secondary food packaging (does not include primary food contact materials).
• Requirement that Price Look-Up (PLU) stickers for produce be compostable.
• Labelling rules requiring accurate information be communicated to Canadians on whether plastics are recyclable, and how to dispose of them properly.
• Labelling rules prohibiting the terms “biodegradable” or “degradable” and limiting the use of the term “compostable” to plastics that meet certain standards and labelling requirements.
• A Pollution Prevention (P2) Planning Notice that directs processors and large retailers to develop plans to reduce plastic used in primary food contact packaging.

Measures going forward in 2025:
• A Federal Plastics Registry requiring all businesses to report annually on:
o the quantity and types of plastic they place on the Canadian market;
o how it moves through the economy; and,
o how it is managed at its end-of-life.

Efforts to reduce plastics by processors and retailers may affect access to imported products. Additionally, if the sector is unable to find adequate alternatives to plastics, several undesirable consequences could emerge, including: reduced shelf life and increased product damage; decreased supply chain efficiencies, impacts on product availability and value-added options, and less microbial control and increased external contamination, particularly for cut and pre-prepared fruits and vegetables.

As a result, ECCC and AAFC have collaborated on a series of commissioned studies to evaluate the opportunities and challenges that industry could face when reducing plastic food packaging. The studies concluded:

• Plastic packaging could be significantly reduced by using alternative packaging materials, reuse/refill/concentration formulas and the elimination of excessive packaging (e.g. within the fresh produce category it would be possible to halve the proportion of fruits and vegetables currently sold in plastic). However, this would require the creation of new business models and investments to address reduced efficiencies from the status quo and/or to enable industry to transition capital equipment or infrastructure associated with different packaging systems.

• Individual high-volume fast-moving consumer products that are distributed regionally (e.g., dairy) demonstrate potential for reuse/refill systems to be adopted as an alternative to plastic. However, challenges to implementation on a large commercial scale include:

o Lack of consumer acceptance where there is little to no experience with deposit systems;
o maintaining safety standards through regulated sanitation processes;
o scaling to be price comparable to items in disposable packaging;
o managing return packaging or refill stations (requiring extra staff and storage in some cases).

Aside from the Federal Plastics Registry, the other proposed measures depend on the outcome of a court case, anticipated in 2025, related to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). The federal government is only able to regulate substances for environmental protection if they are listed as toxic under CEPA. As a result, ECCC moved to add “plastic manufactured items” to the list of toxic substances on Schedule 1 of CEPA through an Order in Council (OIC) on May 12, 2021. A case against the OIC was brought forward by a coalition of plastic companies, including Dow Chemical, Imperial Oil and Nova Chemicals (and supported by the Government of Alberta). In November 2023, a Federal Court judge ruled that the federal government’s decision to list plastic items as toxic was unreasonable and unconstitutional, writing that the category of plastic manufactured items was too broad to be given a blanket toxicity label under federal law. The federal government has appealed this decision, and the case is currently underway at the Federal Court of Appeals.

• Agricultural producers and processors are adopting sustainable practices that help reduce their use of plastics.

• Our government has supported further reduction and reuse by providing funding to improve plastic waste management on-farm.

• We are supporting a reduction in plastics through research, innovation, and collaboration across the value chain.

• Our government will continue to support farmers and the food industry to achieve Zero Plastic Waste in 2030 and engage with stakeholders and partners across the entire value chain to further understand the implications and costs of any proposed policies or regulations.