Irish farmers and contractors are concerned that a new EU ban on single-use plastics could have a detrimental affect on maize production.
The new EU directive, which came into force on 3 July, no longer allows the use of oxo-degradable plastic which is used to grow nearly all of the country’s maize.
The plastic creates a micro-climate, with the hot and dry conditions helping to produce high quality maize for cattle feed.
Grain chairman of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Mark Browne, said“Farmers are very willing to be more environmentally friendly. It is a good idea but needs more of a lead-in time to allow for supply of the new product.”
Growers have complained it is too soon to tell if a trial of alternative compostable film will be a sufficient alternative.
Gordon Shine, who works for Shine’s Agri, a seed supplier in Limerick, said: “There are certainly no alternatives out there in a commercial capacity. We have looked at, and considered, compostable alternatives but we are very much in the infancy of trying to find one.”
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