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Lunchtime 101: Sewage sludge on farmland

18 July 2024

39 minutes | Recorded on 18 July 2024

What are the environmental and health risks of spreading sewage sludge on farmland? Hear from campaigners and experts on the issues with regulation of sewage sludge in Scotland.

Resources

Natasha’s presentation

  • Environmental Investigation Agency & Fidra (8 July 2024) Joint NGO Position Paper on the Agricultural Use of Sewage Sludge in the UK
  • Fidra (23 April 2024) Agricultural Use of Biosolids and Contaminants Awareness Survey

Jo’s presentation

  • Arnold, Brown et al. (2014) Medicating the environment: assessing risks of pharmaceuticals to wildlife and ecosystems, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 369(1656)
  • Bellingham, Fowler et al. (2009) Exposure to a complex cocktail of environmental endocrine-disrupting compounds disturbs the kisspeptin/GPR54 system in ovine hypothalamus and pituitary gland,  Environmental Health Perspectives 117(10): 1556-1562
  • Doreen Goldie & Jo Hirst, ERCS Blog (14 November 2022) Sewage sludge spreading – the harm and fight for improved regulation
  • Hombach-Klonisch, Danescu et al. (2013) Peri-conceptional changes in maternal exposure to sewage sludge chemicals disturbs fetal thyroid gland development in sheep, Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology 1-2: 98-108
  • Lea, Amezaga et al. (2016) The fetal ovary exhibits temporal sensitivity to a ‘real-life’ mixture of environmental chemicals, Sci Rep 2(6):22279.
  • Lodder & de Roda Housman (2020) SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater: potential health risk, but also data source, Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol 5(6): 533-4
  • Pagaling, Hough et al. (2023) Antibiotic resistance patterns in soils across the Scottish landscape, Communications Earth & Environment 4: 403
  • Paul, Rhind et al. (2005) Cellular and hormonal disruption of fetal testis development in sheep reared on pasture treated with sewage sludge, Environmental Health Perspectives 113(11): 1580-7
  • Reilly (2001) The case against land application of sewage sludge pathogens, Can J Infect Dis. 12(4): 205–7
  • Scottish Government (February 2016) Review Of The Storage and Spreading Of Sewage Sludge on Land In Scotland (The Sludge Review): Final Recommendations
  • Scottish Government (October 2020) The spreading of sewage sludge to land (CR/2016/23): research reports
  • Tarpani, Alfonsín et al. (2020) Life cycle environmental impacts of sewage sludge treatment methods for resource recovery considering ecotoxicity of heavy metals and pharmaceutical and personal care products, Journal of Environmental Management 260: 109643

Cornell’s presentation

  • Fighting Dirty campaign
  • Scottish Government (15 November 2023) Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018 draft – proposed amendments: consultation
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Why you should know about sewage sludge spreading

Communities across Scotland are facing the impacts of sewage sludge spreading on agricultural land. Sewage sludge, a by-product of wastewater treatment, is often used as a fertilizer to grow food. But community members and experts are raising the alarm about poor regulation and enforcement and the harmful chemicals it contains, such as heavy metals, PFAS, pharmaceuticals and microplastics.

Sewage sludge spreading is banned in the Netherlands and Switzerland and is strictly regulated in many countries due to the risks to human health and environment.

Why is Scotland lagging behind and what needs to happen now?

Commercial tree plantations 101 

Joining ERCS will be community campaigner Jo Hirst and Natasha Kitching from FIDRA.

Together we will talk you through:

  • The environmental and health impacts of sewage sludge spreading on farmland
  • The campaign for improved regulation

There will also be time for discussion and Q&A. 

More Lunchtime 101s

A handshake.
21 May 2025

The Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016: How to enforce it and does it need to be strengthened?

25 March 2025

Webinar: Defending environmental democracy

15 October 2024

Lunchtime 101: Sewage pollution

Filed Under: News, Webinar Tagged With: environmental rights, Events, Lunchtime 101

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