Ignoring government ministers Environment Agency In appeals to tighten the rules on the use of sludge fertilizers for a period of three years, although the organizer that the water company’s positions towards the material are “closer to flying to agricultural lands” can be detected.
The sludge, which is sometimes referred to as biological solids, is a secondary result of the wastewater treatment process that water companies are sold to farmers as low -cost fertilizers.
The product has increased scrutiny in recent years as scientists have found that the sludge contains a wide range of pollutants, Including pfas – Known as “chemicals forever” – at levels that exceed those considered safe in emerging sciences and accurate generosity.
However, under the current regulations, water companies are just bound to test a number of heavy metals. In 2019, the Environmental Agency (EA) was granted a green light to develop the sludge strategy that suggested that the use of sludge on farms under more strict rules control other environmentally harmful activities, such as sending waste to waste burials.
Last year, lawyers who represent the Fighting Dirty EA campaign group took the court about whether its decision to remove the deadline to bring this organizational reform was illegal.
The group lost its case, but the documents and emails submitted by the agency to the court – which were obtained as part of Objectives of the investigation report – She revealed the extent of EA to persuade the government to implement its plans to tighten the regulatory network on the sludge, and how it was ignored.
This includes several email messages and surroundings that were sent three years ago, when officials from the Ministry of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) requested to obtain information about a ministerial submission. Email messages reveal that one of the EA employees described how the current rules allow water companies to take a standing of sludge that is published “closer to flying to agricultural lands.”
EA also warned Defra that all the microscopic plastic that falls into sewage works ends in the sludge associated with agricultural lands, and that the current rules mean that the practice of a “sludge trade”-where water companies move to different companies and mask-make it almost impossible “to allow any of the sludge to the fillings that spread on food lands (or Grazing Agult.”
However, later in 2022, he told a special advisor to the Minister of Environment, who was then George Yousts, officials had been working on the status of sludge that is published under a more strict organization that should stop temporarily because the ministers were not adequately updated ” – despite email chains that show regular participation between the issue between government officials.
“I apologize for the correspondence about the work of the sludge, which was confused – I should have been more than that. The source of this confusion is a difference in vision between us and EA about the preparation of the Defra Group to implement any repairs,” Defra, leader of the DEFRA Water Quality Policy Team told the Special Consultant.
They added: “Because of an incomprehensible understanding of the process of political decisions and the legislative implementation of reforms, EA seems to be To believe that the process is clear and trying to accelerate things two years ago by spreading the sludge strategy. “
Email messages obtained by the ends show that EA had rushed to express their anxiety and surprise, as the employees stated that they were spending two weeks’ meetings with the administration on its work on sludge.
In an attempt to emphasize the need for reforms, a briefing of materials provided by the EA’s land pollution manager at that time said that the CIP investigation program (CIP), which is funded by the water industry, said that “dry sludge from agriculture (843,343 dry tons) contain an estimated 8,096 tons of dry weight of agriculture.
“It is believed that this is all the fine plastic contained in the wastewater, given that there are approximately 100 % division to sludge,” I mentioned their briefing.
The latest CIP report, obtained by the ends, is not only supported by this confirmation, but gives a slightly higher number.
The report states that the extrapolation of the sample data “indicates that 8,304 tons of fine plastic were exported to the landing through the application of vital solid materials in England and Wales in 2020 (equivalent to 22 tons/day).”
Three years later, no changes have been made to the spread of sludge.
“The failure of the previous government, in the face of EA’s advice on the need for more strict rules, is completely unacceptable,” said Richard Pinwell, CEO of Nature Tealition Group Wildlife and Contryside Link.
He added: “The current government must quickly bring a new organization to prevent harmful levels of pollutants that end in the fields, as well as measures to reduce and use toxic chemical production in the source, to protect people and nature.”
In the US state of Min, the practice of sludge was banned after officials discovered high levels of PFAs in water, crops, livestock and soil – and in farmers – from the farms where the sludge spread. Discover PFAS pollution in some of these farms The farmers were removed from the workAnd the past year American Environmental Protection Agency He was transferred to the court because of his failure to regulate the spread of contaminated sludge with PFAS.
Martin Lines, CEO of The Nature Friendly Agriculture The network said: “Any farmer receives wastewater or cake [a form of treated sludge] Serious thinking needs unintended consequences, and whether they will have access to the soil to grow food in the future due to the risks.
A spokesman for the National Farmers Union said that the treatment of pollutants “in the source”, as well as clear organizational standards and continuous investment in treatment techniques, was “necessary to protect soil health and ensure that biological materials remain a high -quality and safe resource for agricultural use.”
The Agricultural Labor Association added that the use of sludge helped farmers to “reduce their dependence on artificial fertilizers while giving water companies a sustainable outlet for their secondary products.”
However, George Montet, journalist and co -founder of Fighting Dirty, said: “Farmers are deceived by water companies … They have been misleading, and this may have very serious effects on their livelihoods in the future, and that their lands may become unusable, and farmers themselves may suffer from serious health effects, as we saw with some farmers in the buttons in the United States,” said George Montet, the journalist and co -founder of Fighting Dirty.
A spokesman for the Water Industry Authority, water The UK said: “The use of Bioresources on Land is a firm and independently organized process that provides a useful source of nutrients for agriculture and the provision of farmers’ money.
“Any evaluation criteria and techniques are an issue for the government and the organizer and needs to be based on fixed evidence and detailed scientific research.”
The spokesman said that water companies are conducting experiments to see if sludge can be used for other purposes, such as alternative to aviation.
They added, “The UK government has banned the sale of some products that contain delicate plastic and we need the same procedure on PFAS.
A spokesman for EA said that the organizer “is still committed to the safe and sustainable use of sludge in agriculture and will ensure that water companies can contribute to productive agriculture while meeting their environmental obligations to clean water corridors and enhance soil health.”
The spokesperson added that EA “will continue to work closely with Defra to improve the regulatory framework for the use of sludge.”
“We need to see the safe and sustainable use of sludge in agriculture to help clean our waterways. The Independent Water Committee will explore a set of issues, including the organizational framework to spread sludge, and we continue to work closely with the Environmental Agency, water companies and farmers in this field,” said a DEFRA spokesman.
