Toxic Sludge Spread Across Farmland Sparks Alarm

Millions of tonnes of treated sewage sludge—also known as biosolids—are being spread on farmland across England each year, despite containing a cocktail of potentially harmful chemicals that experts fear may be entering the food chain.

A joint investigation by The Guardian and Watershed has uncovered that an estimated 768,000 tonnes of sludge are reapplied to agricultural land annually, covering approximately 150,000 hectares—an area roughly half the size of Wales.

What’s in the sludge?
Official tests typically check only for a handful of heavy metals. But specialist analysis shows these biosolids often harbour:

PFAS “forever chemicals”

Pharmaceuticals like antibiotics

Microplastics

Hormone-disrupting compounds

Internal Environment Agency reports, dating back to 2017, had already warned that such contaminants could render soils “unsuitable for agriculture”.

Why this matters:
Farmers are using sludge for its nitrogen, phosphates, and organic matter. But when chemical-laden waste is allowed on fields unchecked, toxins could potentially:

Build up in crops

Enter livestock and dairy products

Pollute rivers and groundwater

A water industry insider described it as “a Trojan horse” for dumping industrial and domestic toxins onto farmland.

What’s the risk?
Current regulations (from 1989) only require basic metal testing. There’s no legal monitoring for PFAS, pharmaceuticals, or microplastics. Many experts warn that 31,000–42,000 tonnes of microplastics may be entering UK fields each year—completely unreported and unregulated.

Government response:
To date, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has maintained that current practices are safe. They point to the agricultural benefits of sludge—but haven’t responded to calls for updated chemical testing guidelines.

Campaigners and EA insiders argue that regulators “don’t care” and that this level of contamination is slipping under the radar.

Fidelis Viewpoint:

Transparency now: We need mandatory soil and crop testing for modern pollutants.

Regulation overhaul: Updating the 1989 rules is overdue.

Public health clarity: We need independent assessments of toxins in our food and streams.

In short: what was once “black gold” is now a shadow threat. And until policy catches up, those who feed the nation may be unknowingly sourcing from the contamination zone.