In light of stakeholder responses to Defra's previous consultation on plastic packaging tax in 2019, HMRC asked for views on areas of the tax which have been further refined as we move closer to the implementation date of April 2022.
♦ The NFU has now submitted its reponse to the consultation - read it here.
The Plastic Packaging Tax, which from April 2022, will apply to plastic packaging manufactured in or imported into the UK containing less than 30% recycled plastic. This will help to increase supply of plastic waste for recycling.
Farmers use a wide range of packaging products throughout their businesses such as egg boxes, milk bottles, plant pots, fertiliser bags, compost bags and pesticide drums. The NFU believes that this consultation may impact members who use packaging within the following sectors:
- egg packers,
- horticulture,
- dairy processing.
The government’s 2018 call for evidence highlighted that using recycled plastic is often more expensive than using new plastic, despite its lower environmental impacts. The government wants to encourage the sustained use of more recycled plastic in the production of plastic packaging to help tackle plastic waste. This will help to drive the treatment of plastic waste up the waste hierarchy so that more plastic is recycled rather than being sent to landfill or incineration, to improve resource productivity and make more plastic waste a useful and valued resource.
You can read more about the work the NFU is doing on plastics here: