Charter 9: Plastics in animal production

The demand for plastics in agricultural applications has increased to a great extent throughout the world over the past decade (around 15% of the world’s total consumption of plastic) and has reached 3.6 million tons of plastic usage for agricultural films in 2013 (Vittova, 2013). Most of the plastic utilized in agriculture is used for the production of polyethylene (PE) films, which are used for greenhouses and tunnels, as mulching to cover soil, as bunker silage covers, and as bale-wrap films. About 59% of the manufactured plastic was used in Asia for agriculture purposes in 2013, while 15% was used in Europe, 8% in North American Free Trade Agreement, and 6% in Latin America. In Europe, approximately 45% of the plastic utilized in agriculture is destined for silage packaging. This percentage ranges from 20% in Italy to 80% in Nordic countries.