Waste Management (Use of Sewage Sludge in Agriculture) Regulations, 1998
Source: Iris Oifigiúl 1998-05-26

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paragraphs: (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Waste Management (Use of Sewage Sludge in Agriculture) Regulations, 1998.
(2) These Regulations shall come into operation on the 20th day of May, 1998.
(3) The purposes for which these Regulations are made include the purpose of giving effect to provisions of Council Directive 86/278/EEC (1) of 12 June, 1986 on the protection of the environment, and in particular of the soil, when sewage sludge is used in agriculture.
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paragraphs: (1) In these Regulations, any reference to the Schedule or an article which is not otherwise identified is a reference to the Schedule or an article of these Regulations.
(2) In these Regulations, any reference to a sub-article which is not otherwise identified is a reference to a sub-article of the provision in which the reference occurs.
(3) In these Regulations, save where the context otherwise requires -
"the Act" means the Waste Management Act, 1996 ;
"agriculture" means the growing of all types of commercial food crops, including food crops for stock-rearing purposes;
"local authority" means -
(a) in the case of a county borough, the corporation of the county borough, and
(b) in the case of any other administrative county, the council of the county;
"sanitary authority" means a sanitary authority for the purposes of the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Acts, 1878 to 1964;
"sludge" means -
(i) residual sludge from sewage plants treating domestic or urban waste waters and from other sewage plants treating waste waters of a composition similar to domestic and urban waste waters;
(ii) residual sludge from septic tanks and other similar installations for the treatment of sewage;
(iii) residual sludge from sewage plants other than those referred to in paragraphs (i) and (ii);
"sludge register" means the register established and maintained under article 8;
"supplier" includes a sanitary authority;
"treated sludge" means sludge which has undergone biological, chemical or heat treatment, long-term storage or any other appropriate process so as significantly to reduce its fermentability and the health hazards resulting from its use;
"use" means the spreading or application by any other means of sludge on or in land.
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paragraphs: (1) Sludge shall not be used or supplied for use in agriculture except in accordance with these Regulations.
(2) Subject to sub-articles (3) and (4), only treated sludge may be used in agriculture.
(3) Untreated sludge may be used in agriculture provided that it is previously injected or otherwise worked into land.
(4) Residual sludge from septic tanks may be used on grassland provided that the grassland is not grazed within six months following such use.
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paragraphs: A person shall, in using sludge in agriculture:-
(a) take account of the nutrient needs of plants,
(b) ensure that the quality of soil, of surface water and of groundwater is not impaired,
(c) have regard to the increased mobility and availability to crops of heavy metals where the sludge is used on land of which the pH is less than 6.
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paragraphs: (1) Sludge shall not be used or supplied for use on:-
(a) land on which fruit, other than fruit trees, or vegetable crops are growing, or
(b) land intended for the cultivation of fruit or vegetable crops which are normally in direct contact with the soil and eaten raw, for a period commencing ten months prior to harvesting, and during harvesting.
(2) Treated sludge shall not be used or supplied for use on grassland or forage crops where the grassland is to be grazed or the forage crops to be harvested within three weeks of such use.
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paragraphs: (1) Sludge shall not be used on land where the concentration of one or more heavy metals in the said land exceeds the values specified in Part I of the Schedule, or the use of the sludge may result in these values being exceeded.
(2) For the purposes of sub-article (1),
(a) the maximum amount of sludge which may be applied to land shall be two tonnes of dry matter per hectare per year, and