WRITTEN QUESTION E-2398/99 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Use of sewage sludge as a fertiliser in the agricultural sector.
Date: 1999-12-16
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Belgium, EU environmental policy, domestic waste, fertiliser

C 303 E/56

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

24.10.2000

vehicles in the Community (2); Commission Directive 96/36/EC of 17 June 1996 adapting to technical
progress Council Directive 77/541/EEC relating to safety belts and restraint systems of motor vehicles (3);
Commission Directive 96/37/EC of 17 June 1996 adapting to technical progress Council Directive 74/408/
EEC relating to the interior fittings of motor vehicles (strength of seats and of their anchorages) (4);
Commission Directive 96/38/EC of 17 June 1996 adapting to technical progress Council Directive 76/115/
EEC relating to anchorages for motor vehicle safety belts (5); Council Directive 91/439EC of 29 July 1991
on driving licences (6), as amended by Council Directive 97/26/EC of 2 June 1997 (7); and Council Directive
96/96/EC of 20 December 1996 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to
roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers (8).

In addition the Commission has forwarded a proposal for a Parliament and Council directive relating to
special provisions for vehicles used for the carriage of passengers comprising more than eight seats in
addition to the driver(cid:146)s seat and amending Council Directive 70/156/EEC (9) which includes requirements
that coaches can withstand rollover tests; requirements that buses and coaches can tilt to their sides a
certain number of degrees, and requirements on the size, positioning and number of emergency exists. A
second Commission proposal that should be adopted soon will require all Member States to undertake
regular roadside inspections of buses and lorries to ensure the safety of vehicles on the road.

As for the Honourable Member(cid:146)s request about European legislation on the mandatory wearing of seat
belts on coaches the Commission currently has no plans to change the current Directive. Whilst the
Commission recognises the positive safety aspects of seat belts on coaches and endorses their use it would
be premature to have legislation on mandatory use until a significant proportion of the Community coach
fleet is fitted with seat belts to the necessary Community standards.

As for airbags on coaches the Commission notes that there is no Community manufacturer at present
building coaches with airbags fitted throughout. It would, therefore, be inappropriate to legislate for such a
requirement at this stage.

(1) OJ L 370, 31.12.1985.
(2) OJ L 57, 2.3.1992.
(3) OJ L 178, 17.7.1996.
(4) OJ L 186, 25.7.1996.
(5) OJ L 187, 26.7.1996.
(6) OJ L 237, 24.8.1991.
(7) OJ L 162, 19.6.1997.
(8) OJ L 46, 17.2.1997.
(9) OJ C 17, 20.1.1998.

(2000/C 303 E/050)

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 liØs (cid:224) l(cid:146)Øpandage des boues de
stations d(cid:146)Øpuration urbaines, Ecole nationale vØtØrinaire de Lyon, thŁse numØro 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.

In which EU Member States is sludge from waste water purification plants used as a fertiliser in the

1.
agricultural sector?

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

24.10.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 303 E/57

3. What is the Commission(cid:146)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?

Is the Commission considering an initiative on the use of sludge from waste water purification plants
4.
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 Wallstr(cid:246)m 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 (cid:129) such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous (cid:129) 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 (cid:145)treated sludge(cid:146), the threshold limits for heavy metals (cid:129) the
large majority of Member States have transposed the Directive in national legislation with more stringent
limits (cid:129) 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 manage-
ment 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.