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Plastic pollution is widespread in both aquatic and terrestrial environments and is also widely abundant in soils. Plastics in soils are problematic due to their persistence and near-irremovability from the environment. In soils, plastic particles can alter soil structure, impact microbial communities, impairing soil fertility and affecting plant growth. Plastic in soils poses risks to wildlife and human health through bioaccumulation and food chain transfer. At the same time, functioning soils are fundamental to ecosystem stability, agricultural productivity, and resilience against climate change. Against this background, effective policies to halt and, at best, minimise plastic pollution in soils are urgently needed. This article presents the results of a qualitative governance analysis which aimed to assess the extent to which EU policies protect soils from plastic pollution. Results show that detailed regulatory ‘command-and-control’ approaches address some entry pathways of micro- and nanoplastics into soils but fail to limit plastic pollution comprehensively. In fact, all policies suffer from multiple governance problems such as lacking target stringency, as well as rebound effects, which only partly minimise specific pathways of plastic entry into soil, while overall plastic production is increasing. Therefore, the real impact on soil plastic pollution remains limited. One approach to effectively address soil plastic pollution is a global climate policy which is aligned with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. In phasing out fossil fuels, plastic production would be phased out in parallel and hence plastic inputs into soils. A second-best approach is the use of economic policy instruments, such an an EU cap-and-trade system, which limits plastic pellet production by setting a strict and over time decreasing cap. Both approaches must be supplemented by improved command-and-control instruments.

The atmospheric dynamics of glyphosate and AMPA was investigated in an agricultural area in the Netherlands over eight weeks following glyphosate application to sandy soil. Airborne sediment was collected every two weeks, at five different heights, and analyzed for glyphosate and AMPA. Results showed that the glyphosate content in the samples was initially high, almost 6000 µg kg−1 two weeks after application, decreasing to about 2300 µg kg−1 eight weeks after application. AMPA content showed less variation and fluctuated between 1000 and 1700 µg kg−1. Airborne concentrations ranged from 0.01 to 1 µg m−3 for glyphosate and from 0.005 to 0.5 µg m−3 for AMPA. They showed a clear and systematic decrease with height. Elevated airborne concentrations were measured up to approximately six weeks after application. Horizontal transport flux followed a similar pattern, decreasing with height and remaining elevated up to six weeks after application. Both glyphosate and AMPA were substantially enriched in the fine particle fractions of the soil, with higher enrichment ratios in finer sediments. More than half of the glyphosate and AMPA that was collected in the airborne samples was transported in suspension. The transport pathway was calculated for two days with high emissions and indicated that long-distance travelling of pesticides is a matter of concern. Analysis of the glyphosate and AMPA amounts in the PM10 fraction of the airborne samples suggests that residents in agricultural areas where glyphosate is frequently applied may be at risk of inhalation exposure.

The agricultural sector of the EU is affected by several political and economic crises and dissatisfaction with policy has been voiced loudly. Against this background, the EU Commission presented a Vision for Agriculture and Food which emphasizes competitiveness, food security, and simplification. This News article critically analyses the Vision’s references to the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in regards to environmental challenges and proposes alternative policy recommendations. The analysis shows that the Vision prioritizes income support and reduced bureaucracy while neglecting environmental protection. However, to ensure long-term food security and environmental resilience, (1) a ‘pay for performance’ approach on Member State level, (2) the expansion of results-oriented measures and (3) the promotion of circular economy principles on farm level are needed.

Purpose Losses of phosphorus (P) and carbon (C) from livestock farming impair downstream water quality, requiring a better understanding of their leaching processes. The aim of the study was to examine how leaching of P (total dissolved P – TDP; dissolved reactive P – DRP; dissolved organic P – DOP) and dissolved organic C (DOC) was affected by soil type, chemical property and amendment. Methods Leaching experiments with simulated rain were conducted on five different mineral and organic soils before and after a manure or mineral fertilizer application, respectively. The soils were: Fluvisol, Stagnosol, Umbrisol, Histosol (Ruptic), and Histosol. Profile-long soil columns were used, and chemistry of soil and water samples were studied. Results Before the P addition, the Histosol (Ruptic) soil with high P and organic matter contents but low sorption in the subsoil had significantly greatest flow-weighted mean concentrations (FWMCs) of TDP (315 versus 33‒48 µg L‒1), DRP (215 versus 5‒26 µg L‒1), DOP (101 versus 19‒33 µg L‒1) and DOC (46 versus 8‒25 mg L‒1) in drainage water among all soils. Leaching of DOC varied more than TDP, DRP and DOP across most soils. The manure application significantly elevated FWMCs-TDP in three soils than before the application and led to greater FWMCs-TDP in all soils and FWMCs-DOC in most soils than mineral fertilizer did. The ratios of DRP to DOP and to TDP were significantly correlated to whole-profile degree of P saturation (DPS) of the soils (R2 > 0.9, p < 0.05). Conclusion Sorption/desorption characteristics of subsoils greatly affected concentrations and loads of P and DOC in drainage, as well as the ratios of DRP to DOP and to TDP. Therefore, sorption/desorption characteristics and DPS of subsoils should be included in the work of assessing dissolved P and DOC leaching and developing nutrient mitigation measures.