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Sludge used on fields may strip crop of value
Farmers have been warned they could devalue their crops by fertilising them with sewage sludge.
Although partially retracted after being issued, the warning gave a rare glimpse of some unease in the food and drinks business about a practice which has been growing for 10 years.
Water companies were pushed into processing human waste into a sterilised fertiliser by European rules designed to clean up the rivers and seas. But it has become a profitable sideline for them and the soaring cost of conventional fertilisers has stimulated farmers' interest.
Processing standards, and the uses of the sludge, are controlled by a voluntary agreement between the water companies and the British Retail Consortium. Their "Safe Sludge Matrix" says, for example, that on land used for salad vegetables, there must be at least a 10-month interval between spreading and harvest where the most thoroughly-treated sludge is concerned – 30 months for less expensive products.
A privatised government consultancy, ADAS, formerly the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service, refereed the agreement, and Defra has approved it. But the actual legislation is sketchy.
It has some parallels with the composting of food waste on farms, as previously reported in the Yorkshire Post. Neighbours complain bitterly about the smell, and there are concerns about the policing of the business, but there has not been much publicity, because the subject is an unpleasant one.
It now emerges that much of the whisky industry has been refusing to buy wheat and barley grown with sludge, for fear of a future public reaction.
Whisky has to be matured for a long time and a panic might mean throwing away years of production. Under pressure from maltsters and distillers, Grainco, a farmers' co-op which is the main north-British dealer in cereals, recently reminded its suppliers of the importance of declaring the use of sludge.
A company circular said: "We are concerned that following the recent rise in fertiliser prices, some growers may be tempted to apply sewage sludge. The vast majority of our customers do not accept such treatment and a recent parcel of grain sold off water authority land that had been treated with sewage sludge attracted a price discount of 60 per tonne."
Farmers were concerned at the implication that food-grade grain might be marked down to the price of feed for animals.
But Grainco's managing director, Gary Bright, told the Yorkshire Post the circular had gone "slightly over the top". The 60 a tonne discount had applied in exceptional circumstances, involving some low-grade sludge. They had used it as a dramatic example in order to underline the importance of declaring the use of sludge in good time, so the grain could be sold appropriately. It had prompted 20 new users to come forward.
"So from our point of view it worked," he commented.
Campbell Evans, a spokesman for the Scotch Whisky Association, said there was concern that the public were not fully aware of the practice of sludge use and that there could be a reaction "whether from customer perceptions or changing science".
The Soil Association does not allow sludge in organic farming.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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