A stink over a popular organic fertiliser has farmers and the federal Opposition demanding answers after a study found the wonder product contained unexpectedly high levels of microplastics that are slow to degrade.
‘Matter of national urgency’: Coalition, farmers call for federal intervention after study finds high quantities of microplastics in popular organic fertiliser
146 samples were taken from waste treatment facilities in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia. “It actually undermines our trading ability into the future if we don’t get this right,” said Mr Littleproud, who urged Federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek and Labor’s Agriculture Minister, Murray Watt to step up.
Asked by Sky News about what testing was done when taken from waste treatment, its Chair Rob Tinholt conceded, not much. “The challenge with microplastics is they are an emerging contaminant. Sky News asked the Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt for a response but was told by his office that questions regarding potential pollutants of farmland should be directed to Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.
“It’s lightened the soil up, so it doesn’t stick together … the soil into a more lovely product to work with,” he said. While Mr Armitage didn’t imagine his property would ever be used to grow crops, he acknowledged the point that microplastic pollution could be an existential threat if a farmer found their land was in fact contaminated with microplastic known for its reluctance to break down and wanted to sell.
With microplastics regularly in the headlines, Sky News asked Dr Bliss where they are showing up in the human body. As for links with cancer, he believes the world will know more conclusively within the “next three to five years” what plastic toxins do to our bodies. ‘We don’t have to know more before we start doing something about it,” she told Sky News, while also making clear, “I don’t think there’s a need to alarm farmers”.
“Many were saying ‘surely would stay in the gut of the fish, and we don’t eat that part’,” Professor Roiko said.
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