8.10.82 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 264/3 
II 
(Preparatory Acts) 
COMMISSION 
Proposal for a Council Directive on the use of sewage sludge in agriculture 
(Submitted by the Commission to the Council on 13 September 1982) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN 
COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community, and in particular 
Articles 100 and 235 thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European 
Parliament, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, 
Whereas the main objective of this Directive is to 
provide better protection for the environment and to 
make use of waste; whereas it is therefore necessary 
to make specific provision for this purpose; whereas 
the Treaty makes no provision for the powers 
required for such action and it is therefore necessary 
to act under Article 235 of the Treaty; 
Whereas the disparity between the Member States' 
current provisions on the agricultural applications of 
sewage sludge, or between those under consideration, 
might create an imbalance in the conditions of 
competition and therefore directly affect the 
functioning of the common market; whereas in this 
field the approximation of laws provided for under 
Article 100 of the Treaty should therefore be 
instigated; 
Whereas under Article 2 (c) and (d) of Council 
Directive 75/442/EEC (*) on the disposal of waste in 
general, waste waters and substances used in farming, 
with the exception of waste in liquid form, are 
excluded from the scope of that Directive; 
Whereas the measures for which provision is made in 
Council Directive 78/319/EEC of 20 March 1978 on 
toxic and dangerous waste (2) also apply to sewage 
sludge containing or contaminated by substances or 
materials listed in the Annex to that Directive which 
are of such a nature or are present in such quantities 
or concentrations that they present a hazard to health 
or to the environment; 
O OJ No L 194, 25. 7. 1975, p. 47. 
O OJNoL84, 31.3. 1978, p. 43. Whereas special arrangements should be made to 
ensure that human beings, animals, plants and the 
environment are fully safeguarded against the harmful 
effects arising from the uncontrolled spreading of 
sludge; 
Whereas sludge sometimes has valuable agronomic 
properties and agricultural applications are therefore 
justified subject to certain precautions being taken; 
whereas the spreading of sewage sludge must not 
impair the quality of agricultural and forestry 
products in the long term; 
Whereas some trace elements are more toxic to plants 
than others; and whereas, consequently, it is 
necessary to lay down mandatory values, to be 
complied with all times, for the more toxic elements, 
whilst recommended values, to be complied with as 
far as possible, are laid down for the less toxic ones; 
Whereas sludge from small sewage plants which 
process only domestic sewage presents little risk to 
the health of human beings and of animals, or to 
plants or the environment and this sludge may 
therefore be excluded from the scope of the 
Directive; 
Whereas to this end the amount of trace elements 
added to soil under cultivation should be restricted by 
limiting the total input of such elements into the soil 
over a given period, whilst at the same time ensuring 
that a concentration threshold for those elements in 
the soil is not exceeded, or even by prohibiting the 
use of sludge with an excessive concentration of trace 
elements; 
Whereas in order to safeguard human health, the 
spreading of sludge on crops which would come into 
direct contact with it and/or which are supplied raw 
to consumers must be prohibited; whereas this 
provision should also apply to woodland areas, parks 
and playgrounds; 
Whereas for other crops sludges must be stabilized 
and a certain period must elapse between spreading 
the sludge and putting stock out to pasture or 
harvesting fodder crops; 
No C 264/4 Official Journal of the European Communities 8.10.82 
Whereas sludge which is directly pumped or worked 
into the soil may be untreated; 
Whereas in accordance with Council Directives 
75/440/EEC (') and 80/68/EEC (2), spreading 
should be carried out under conditions which ensure 
that the soil and the surface and ground water are 
protected; 
Whereas to this end it is necessary to monitor the 
quality of sludges and of the soils to which they are 
applied and hence to make regular analyses and to 
communicate the results to the users; 
Whereas the scope of this Directive should be limited 
to municipal sludges, certain non-toxic commercial or 
agro-food industry sludges, and mixed urban and 
industrial or commercial sludges, so excluding 
industrial and commercial sludges, which often 
contain too high a load of one or more trace 
elements, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: 
Article 1 
For the purposes of this Directive: 
(a) sludge means residual sludge from sewage 
treatment plants treating urban or similar 
effluents and mixed effluents, that is, mixtures of 
urban and industrial or commercial effluents; 
(b) stabilized sludge means sludge which has 
undergone biological or chemical treatment or 
long-term storage; 
(c) agriculture means the commercial growing of all 
types of food crops; 
(d) spreading of sewage sludge means all uses of 
sewage sludge on and in the soil. 
Article 2 
Sewage sludge from treatment plants treating only 
urban or similar effluents and serving throughout the 
year a population of less than 5 000 persons shall be 
excluded from the scope of this Directive. 
Article 3 
Mandatory (M) and recommended (R) values shall be 
laid down for the trace element concentrations in the 
0) OJ No L 194, 25. 7. 1975, p. 26. 
(2) OJ No L 20, 26. 1. 1980, p. 43. sludge, for the cumulative quantities of trace elements 
introduced into soil used for agriculture and for 
permissible concentrations of trace elements in the 
receiving soils. 
Member States shall ensure that the mandatory values 
laid down in Annexes I A, I B and I C are complied 
with when sludge is spread. 
Member States shall make every effort to observe the 
recommended values laid down in Annexes I A, I B 
and I C where local conditions permit. 
Article 4 
Sludge having a concentration of one or more 
elements listed in Annex IA higher than the 
mandatory values may not be used in agriculture. 
Member States shall make every effort to observe the 
recommended values laid down in Annex IA where 
local conditions permit. 
Member States shall take whatever steps are necessary 
to ensure that sludge of this type is disposed of with 
minimum risk to human beings, animals, plants and 
the environment. 
Article 5 
Repeated applications of sludge must not lead to an 
accumulation of trace elements in the soil exceeding 
the mandatory values laid down in Annex I C. 
For trace elements for which mandatory values have 
been fixed in Annex IB Member States shall lay 
down the maximum amounts which may be added 
per unit of soil surface area per year, calculated over 
10 years. 
For trace elements for which recommended values are 
given in Annex I B Member States shall make every 
effort to observe the recommended values where local 
conditions permit. 
Article 6 
Member States shall prohibit the spreading on soil of 
sludge in which the concentration of one of more 
trace elements exceeds the mandatory values laid 
down in Annex I C. 
Member States shall make every effort to observe the 
recommended values laid down in Annex I C where 
local conditions permit. 
Article 7 
Without prejudice to Article 8: 
— sludge shall be stabilized before being used in 
agriculture; and 
8.10.82 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 264/5 
— non-stabilized sludge may be used only if it is 
immediately injected or worked into the soil. 
Article 8 
1. Member States shall prohibit the application of 
sludge in parks, playgrounds and woodlands save 
where special authorization has been granted for 
special reasons. 
2. Grassland shall not be grazed and forage crops 
shall not be harvested for at least six weeks after the 
application of stabilized sludge. 
3. Member States shall prohibit the spreading of 
sludge on crops which would be in direct contact 
with the sludge and/or are supplied raw to 
consumers. 
Article 9 
The application of sludge shall be carried out in 
accordance with the following rules: 
— the sludge shall be spread in a manner which 
fulfills the needs of the plants and preserves the 
quality of the soil and of the surface and ground 
water; 
— sludge shall not be spread on soil with a pH value 
which will allow excessive mobility of the trace 
elements. Member States shall ensure that the pH 
value of the soil does not fall below six after 
spreading. 
Article 10 
Sludge and the soil on which it is spread shall be 
analyzed in accordance with the schedule in Annex 
II. 
Article 11 
Member States shall ensure that a record is kept of 
the amounts of sludge produced, of the quantities 
supplied for use in agriculture, of the recipients, the 
methods of treatment and of the results of the 
analyses referred to in Article 10. 
The record will provide a basis for the consolidated 
report referred to in Article 17. 
Information on the methods of treatment and the 
results of the analyses shall be released upon request 
to farmers and competent bodies. 
Article 12 
Where conditions so demand the Member States may 
take more stringent measures than those provided for 
in this Directive. Article 13 
In accordance with the procedure referred to in 
Article 15, adaptation to technical progress shall 
concern: 
— the values given in Annex I; 
— the analyses specified in Annex II; 
— methods of sampling and analysis. 
Article 14 
1. A committee for adapting this Directive to 
technical progress (hereinafter called 'the 
Committee') is hereby set up. It shall consist of 
representatives of the Member States with a rep­
resentative of the Commission as chairman. 
2. The Committee shall draw up its own rules of 
procedure. 
Article 15 
1. Where the procedure laid down in this Article is 
to be followed, matters shall be referred to the 
Committee by the Chairman, either on his own 
initiative or at the request of the representative of a 
Member State. 
2. The representative of the Commission shall 
submit to the Committee a draft of the measures to 
be adopted. The Committee shall deliver its opinion 
on the draft within a period to be determined by the 
Chairman according to the urgency of the matter. It 
shall decide by a majority of 45 votes, the votes.of the 
Member States being weighted as provided for in 
Article 148 (2) of the Treaty. The Chairman shall not 
vote. 
3. (a) The Commission shall adopt the measures 
envisaged where these are in accordance with 
the opinion of the Committee. 
(b) Where the measures envisaged are not in 
accordance with the opinion of the Committee 
or if no opinion has been given, the 
Commission shall forthwith propose to the 
Council the measures to be adopted. The 
Council shall act by a qualified majority. 
(c) If, within three months of the proposal being 
submitted to it, the Council has not acted, the 
measures proposed shall be adopted by the 
Commission. 
Article 16 
1. Member States shall bring into force the laws, 
regulations and administrative provisions necessary to 
comply with this Directive within three years of its 
notification. They shall forthwith inform the 
Commission thereof. 
2. Member States shall communicate to the 
Commission the texts of the provisions of national 
law which they adopt in the field covered by this 
Directive. 
No C 264/6 Official Journal of the European Communities 8. 10.82 
Article 17 
Five years after the notification of this Directive and 
every three years thereafter Member States shall 
prepare a consolidated report on the use of sludge in 
agriculture setting out the quantities applied and the 
percentage thereof on each type of soil, the criteria used and any difficulties encountered; they shall send 
the report to the Commission which shall publish the 
information contained therein. 
Article 18 
This Directive is addressed to the Member States. 
ANNEX IA 
Limit values of trace-element concentrations in sludge for use in agriculture 
(mg/kg dry matter) 
Element 
Cadmium 
Copper 
Nickel 
Lead 
Zinc 
Chromium 
Mercury (Cd) 
(Cu) 
(Ni) 
(Pb) 
(Zn) 
(Cr) 
(Hg) 20 
1 000 
300 
750 
2 500 
750 
16 M 
40 
1 500 
400 
1000 
3 000 
ANNEX IB 
Amounts of trace elements which may be added annually to agricultural land, based on a ten-year 
average 
(kg/ha/yr) 
Element 
Cadmium 
Copper 
Nickel 
Lead 
Zinc 
Arsenic 
Chromium 
Mercury (Cd) 
(Cu) 
(Ni) 
(Pb) 
(Zn) 
(As) 
(Cr) 
(Hg) R 
0 
10 
2 
10 
25 
0-
10 
0-10 
35 
40 M 
0-15 
12 
3 
15 
30 
ANNEX IC 
Concentrations of trace elements admissible in agricultural soil to which sludge is applied 
(mg/kg dry matter) 
Element 
Cadmium 
Copper 
Nickel 
Lead 
Zinc 
Arsenic 
Chromium 
Mercury (Cd) 
(Cu) 
(Ni) 
(Pb) 
(Zn) 
(As) 
(Cr) 
(Hg) 1 
50 
30 
50 
150 
20 
50 
2 Af 
3 
100 
50 
100 
300 
8. 10. 82 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 264/7 
ANNEX IIA 
Sludge analysis 
As a rule, sludge is to be analyzed at least every six months. Where changes occur in the charac­
teristics of the sewage being treated the frequency of the analyses must be increased. If the results of 
the analysis do not vary significantly over a full year, the sludge must be analyzed every 12 months. 
Analysis should cover the following parameters: 
— dry matter, organic matter; 
-pH; 
— nitrogen and phosphorus; 
— copper, cadmium, nickel, lead and zinc. 
It is for the Member States to decide whether the following parameters should also be calculated : 
— C/N ratio; 
— salinity; 
— faecal content. 
Analyses must also be carried out for the other trace elements for which the Member States have 
fixed recommended values. 
ANNEX IIB 
Soil analysis 
Soils must be analyzed prior to the first application of sludge and every five years thereafter ('). 
Analysis should cover the following parameters: 
-pH; 
— copper, cadmium, nickel, lead and zinc. 
It is for the Member States to decide whether the following parameters should also be calculated: 
— physical characteristics of the soil; 
— buffering capacity. 
Analyses must also be carried out for the other trace elements for which the Member States have 
fixed recommended values. 
(') The number of soil samples taken will depend on the homogeneity of the soil and the land area; the depth at which samples are 
taken will depend on the type of crop. 
Proposal for a Council Decision on a financial contribution from the Community to the 
campaign against foot-and-mouth disease in south-east Europe 
(Submitted by the Commission to the Council on 24 September 1982) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN Having regard to the opinion of the European 
COMMUNITIES, Parliament; 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the Whereas there have been outbreaks of foot-and-
European Economic Community, and in particular mouth disease caused by viruses foreiSn .to ther 
Article 43 thereof Community in recent years in certain regions or 
south-east Europe; whereas the danger to 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Community livestock from such exotic foot-and-