Open letter – ban plastic netting in grass turf

Huw Irranca-Davies MS
Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Welsh Government

Dear Huw

Phase out the use of plastic netting in grass turf in Wales  

In recent years, some turf grass suppliers have started to use plastic mesh netting in their turf grass.  

This plastic netting however has numerous drawbacks and can also be fatal to small animals such as hedgehogs and birds when it becomes exposed from the turf. 

Hedgehogs are known to become entangled in this netting, and it has also been found in hedgehog nests where the hoglets have then become trapped in it. We know that hedgehogs are now sadly a ‘near-threatened’ species in many areas and we should be doing a lot more to protect them in Wales.  

Birds can also become snagged up in it as they dig for food and it can also trap burrowing animals. 

The plastic netting will become wrapped around any garden tools or garden machinery, making gardening more difficult. If homeowners ever wish to lift the turf, then disposing of it also becomes hard as it contains plastic. 

The netting itself will eventually break down into ever smaller pieces of microplastics and nanoplastics which can then also release the chemicals they contain. We know we need to be acting on all the possible sources of microplastics and this one should be one of the easier ones to act on as plastic netting in grass turf is simply not needed.  

In January 2025, the UK Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA), the leading body representing the UK turfgrass industry, took the decision to ban the use of plastic netting in turf production by its members. The decision was supported overwhelmingly by its members in a vote and will take effect from 31st October 2026. Not all turf suppliers are members of TGA however so we would like to see further action taken in Wales given that we have the necessary powers here under devolution to act on plastic pollution and also under housing regulations and planning.  

We, the undersigned, call on Welsh Government to recognise the damage that plastic netting in turf can have on our wildlife and our environment, and to meet with us to discuss what can be done in Wales to phase it out. 

Yours sincerely

Friends of the Earth Cymru 

Turfgrass Growers Association 

British Hedgehog Preservation Society 

Wildlife Gardening Forum 

Glamorgan Hedgehog Rescue 

Hedgehog Helpline 

Adam Jones, Welsh gardener, social media influencer and TV presenter 

Dylan and Lorraine Allman, Hedgehog Aware