WRITTEN QUESTION E-2398/99

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(16 December 1999)

Subject: Use of sewage sludge as a fertiliser in the agricultural sector

In a number of EU Member States, including the Belgian Federation, sludge from waste water purification plants is used as a fertiliser in the agricultural sector. The sludge is usually highly polluted with heavy metals. Scientific research (Adeline Montcharmont: Les risques sanitaires liés à l'épandage des boues de stations d'épuration urbaines, Ecole nationale vétérinaire de Lyon, thèse numéro 31, 1999) also shows that such sludge can be infected with bacteria, viruses and parasites. Both these facts necessitate further research and an appropriate approach at all policy levels.

1. In which EU Member States is sludge from waste water purification plants used as a fertiliser in the agricultural sector?

2. Which Member States have restrictions in force on the use of such sludge as fertiliser?

3. What is the Commission's attitude towards the use of sludge from waste water purification plants as a fertiliser in the agricultural sector, in view of the pollution with heavy metals and infection with bacteria, viruses and parasites?

4. Is the Commission considering an initiative on the use of sludge from waste water purification plants as a fertiliser in the agricultural sector, in view of the pollution with heavy metals and infection with bacteria, viruses and parasites? If so, when does the Commission envisage submitting this initiative? If not, why not?

5. Does the Commission feel that a ban should be imposed on using sewage sludge as a fertiliser, in view of the pollution with heavy metals and infection with bacteria, viruses and parasites? If not, why not?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(4 February 2000)

The use of sludge in agriculture, i.e. its spreading on agricultural land as soil improver or organic fertiliser, is regulated by Council Directive 86/278/EEC of 12 June 1986 on the protection of the environment and in particular the soil, when sewage sludge is used in agriculture(1). The Directive seeks to prevent harmful effects on soil, vegetation, animals and man as well as to encourage the correct use of sewage sludge. It lays down maximum concentration limits for certain heavy metals (cadmium, copper, mercury, lead, nickel and zinc) in the sludge. At the same time, to prevent the spreading of pathogens in the environment and the contamination of animals and crops, the Directive provides for a certain number of restrictions in terms of periods and crops on which sludge can be applied.

According to the information in possession of the Commission, in all Member States sewage sludge is used on agricultural soils. The percentages vary from very little in Greece up to 65 % in Denmark. Variations depend on many factors, for instance waste management practice, lack of confidence by farmers and consumers, and preference given to other sources of organic fertilisers. However, no Member State has an outright ban on the use of sludge in agriculture.

While allowing the recycling of nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous as well as the organic matter which is its main constituent, sewage sludge is possibly contaminated by heavy metals, organic compounds and pathogenic micro-organisms. As for the latter, Directive 86/278/EEC prescribes that sludge used in agriculture must be previously treated. The aim of this treatment is to prevent the environmental and health impacts of pathogens. For the heavy metals, the Directive requires analysis of the sludge and the soil so as to avoid that the threshold limits set in Annex IA are exceeded.

The Commission is currently considering a revision of Directive 86/278/EEC in order to bring it up to date with technological progress and scientific knowledge. To this end, consultations with experts from Member States, industry and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been initiated. Some of the areas that could possibly be tackled are the definition of treated sludge, the threshold limits for heavy metals the large majority of Member States have transposed the Directive in national legislation with more stringent limits the monitoring of organic compounds of anthropogenic origin, and the long-term protection of soils from the slow build-up of heavy metals. The Commission has launched a certain number of studies to gather the relevant scientific and technical information for the revision of the Directive. In particular, action to prevent at source the pollution of waste water and of sludge is one of the areas of major interest. The Commission is not at present in a position to tell the Honourable Member when this revision exercise will end.

The Commission does not see any scientific reason for a ban on the use of sewage sludge in agriculture, provided that it is properly treated, analysed and monitored. In fact, pathogens that are found in sewage sludge are also commonly found in animal manure. Cadmium is an impurity in phosphate fertilisers and copper and zinc are commonly used for stock rearing purposes. In environmental terms sludge management may present problems whatever way is chosen for dealing with it. The way forward is to reduce at source the contamination of sewage sludge with an effective product policy and effective industrial discharge policy. The Commission is working in this direction.

(1) OJ L 181, 4.7.1986.