SEHBS 2022 Open House : plasticulture in the spotlight

AUTHOR : Maët LE LAN, Manager of the Bretagne-Sud experimental station in Auray Chambre d’agriculture de Bretagne

With the increasing climatic hazards and the drought of summer 2022, polyethylene (PE) and biodegradable mulches have demonstrated their relevance and level of performance. They also highlighted the strategic importance of their collection, disposal, or recycling after use. This was precisely the focus of the technical workshop organized by the Bretagne-Sud station in Auray during its traditional “Open House” day.

More than 350 participants attended the Open House Day at the Auray station on September 20. Students are usually the second largest audience after producers, but this year, they were replaced by technicians and advisors from both public and private sectors. These professionals came from across the department, as well as from the broader Brittany region and even from the Grand Ouest and Pas-de-Calais. In fact, the demand for experimentation in market gardening goes far beyond the Brittany region. That is why the station has been involved in multi-regional projects for six years, such as one focused on reducing plant protection products, which brings together seven regions.

For the 2022 edition of its annual Open House event, the Auray station organized a workshop entitled “Plastics in Agriculture, Waste Management, and Alternatives to Plastics.” Agricultural plastic is indispensable for vegetable production, and 2022 proved this widely. With the drought, watering restrictions, and challenges in keeping soils moist, mulched crops clearly fared better. In 2023, given the increased labor constraints, greater use of mulching is expected.

Preparation of used plastics and collection

As part of a regional initiative, the Auray station is a “pilot farm waste” that applies the “7 golden rules” for managing the end-of-life products from agro-supply. The aim is to federate various structures from all sectors at the departmental level, focusing on good sorting practices, so that they can share and communicate their experiences to improve future management. These pilot farms are not about quantity, but quality, with each one aiming to be exemplary in sorting and management. A.D.I.VALOR presented the best practices to adopt before collection, specifically mentioning that the sale price of polyethylene mulch includes an eco-contribution that covers part of the cost for the collection and treatment of agricultural films at the end of their life. Hortibreiz, a collection operator, explained the collection instructions and periods. After nearly two years without collection, there has been a lack of information about the collection system and its relevance, with some waste ending up in landfills. In 2020, the station recommended that farmers only source mulch from vendors involved in end-of-life product collection. Since 2022, all stakeholders in the industry have been coordinating, disseminating best practices and information, and motivating farmers. When recycling is guaranteed at 100% by the industry, it will be much easier to motivate farmers to focus on waste quality.