Sewage Sludge!

[BrianV]

The Wales government have brought in NVZ over the whole country, how long before England do the same, we as farmers are blamed on virtually every environmental programme & newspaper article, it's time we fought back as we have far more power & influence then we ever imagine.
For a start every farmer in the UK should from today refuse to take sewage sludge onto their farms, how long do you think before the government is forced to compromise on where the blame for pollution really lies.
Our NFU should be standing up for us but there comes a time when we have to do it ourselves or we have no one else to blame!

 

[RAF]

Farmers stand togeather oh unless it’s killing badgers they will pay to do that.
Agree with you they should be paying farmers mega money to take the sludge

 

[milkloss]

Been saying this myself for ages.

sadly I don’t think anyone will do anything until it affects them. Arable boys aren’t too worried about NVZs and they’re the ones gagging for sewage sludge.

 

[Cowabunga]

Been saying this myself for ages.

sadly I don’t think anyone will do anything until it affects them. Arable boys aren’t too worried about NVZs and they’re the ones gagging for sewage sludge.

Are none of them concerned with the heavy metals, chemicals and hormones they apply in the sludge. It is very much an issue and is why soil has to be analysed for poisons before sludge can be applied, because it builds up in the soil with every application of sewage.

If it was anyone but the water authorities desperate for some mug to take their sludge, the authorities would ban the application of this poison outright I'm fairly sure. Imagine a private farmer applying to DEFRA for permission and derogations to apply toxic waste on their land in today's conditions. I bet they would be turned down flat.

 

[BrianV]

Been saying this myself for ages.

sadly I don’t think anyone will do anything until it affects them. Arable boys aren’t too worried about NVZs and they’re the ones gagging for sewage sludge.

Ah yes but the arable boys want livestock farmers to buy their goods, we either stand together or get picked off one by one!

 

[T Hectares]

Are none of them concerned with the heavy metals, chemicals and hormones they apply in the sludge. It is very much an issue and is why soil has to be analysed for poisons before sludge can be applied, because it builds up in the soil with every application of sewage.

If it was anyone but the water authorities desperate for some mug to take their sludge, the authorities would ban the application of this poison outright I'm fairly sure. Imagine a private farmer applying to DEFRA for permission and derogations to apply toxic waste on their land in today's conditions. I bet they would be turned down flat.

You are applying the same heavy metals as sludge in your FYM and slurry, albeit at lower rates
At least Sludge use is regulated and soil it’s applied to is tested, in this Defra/ADAS report they suggest all sources of heavy metal to AG land should be regulated

http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0547_7265_FRA.pdf

 

[GeorgeK]

It all comes down to keeping the public's water bills from going up. If sludge is banned on farm land the water companies will pay to incinerate, landfill or export it and the regulator will allow them to add the cost to the water bills. Won't hurt their profits or executive pay packages one bit.

 

[Cowabunga]

You are applying the same heavy metals as sludge in your FYM and slurry, albeit at lower rates
At least Sludge use is regulated and soil it’s applied to is tested, in this Defra/ADAS report they suggest all sources of heavy metal to AG land should be regulated

http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0547_7265_FRA.pdf

Absolute nonsense. There is just a tiny fraction of toxic substances in cow slurry as in sewage sludge. You must be part of the sewage waste disposal industry?

 

[BrianV]

You are applying the same heavy metals as sludge in your FYM and slurry, albeit at lower rates
At least Sludge use is regulated and soil it’s applied to is tested, in this Defra/ADAS report they suggest all sources of heavy metal to AG land should be regulated

http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0547_7265_FRA.pdf

If they can test for covid infection in sewage then it stands to reason that everything that goes down the loo, bath & washing machine ends up on farmland, that includes detergents, shampoos, drugs & chemicals of the entertainment variety as well as wash off from industrial units.
Makes cow sh!t seem perfectly heathy in comparison.

 

[T Hectares]

If they can test for covid infection in sewage then it stands to reason that everything that goes down the loo, bath & washing machine ends up on farmland, that includes detergents, shampoos, drugs & chemicals of the entertainment variety as well as wash off from industrial units.
Makes cow sh!t seem perfectly heathy in comparison.

E.Coli, listeria, crypto, all of those could be in slurry, treated sludge has been through a digester and some has additional heat treatment killing 99.9% of pathogens

I’m pretty happy using sludge, have been using it for 20 years plus, it’s high in P so needs to be used moderately but it has done wonders for many arable farms alongside other OM sources

 

[Bongodog]

E.Coli, listeria, crypto, all of those could be in slurry, treated sludge has been through a digester and some has additional heat treatment killing 99.9% of pathogens

I’m pretty happy using sludge, have been using it for 20 years plus, it’s high in P so needs to be used moderately but it has done wonders for many arable farms alongside other OM sources

The things you mention will all degraded in time, the heavy metals, plastics etc in sewage sludge will be ther for all time.

 

[deleted user 837354]

If a lot of farmers got together in Wales and refused sewage sludge (tell them: 'can't- NVZ regs, sorry!') then the Welsh government would have a problem on their hands because there would be no legal route to dispose of the stuff in the country. You could use this to turn over the NVZ legislation which they have applied unilaterally and for no real reason.

 

[BrianV]

E.Coli, listeria, crypto, all of those could be in slurry, treated sludge has been through a digester and some has additional heat treatment killing 99.9% of pathogens

I’m pretty happy using sludge, have been using it for 20 years plus, it’s high in P so needs to be used moderately but it has done wonders for many arable farms alongside other OM sources

Ever tried finding out what else your soil now contains & leaches into the ground water, it may make crops grow but that doesn't make it a good thing long term. It's no healthy substitute for cow sh!t.

 

[deleted user 837354]

If they can test for covid infection in sewage then it stands to reason that everything that goes down the loo, bath & washing machine ends up on farmland, that includes detergents, shampoos, drugs & chemicals of the entertainment variety as well as wash off from industrial units.
Makes cow sh!t seem perfectly heathy in comparison.

A lot of chemicals, including detergents, shampoos and medicines/drugs will be eaten or otherwise degraded by the treatment process and certainly will be degraded in time in soil.

Heavy metals, of course, are the exception. Once they are there, they are there forever, though they can be altered and converted into differing forms.

 

[Granite Farmer]

A lot of chemicals, including detergents, shampoos and medicines/drugs will be eaten or otherwise degraded by the treatment process and certainly will be degraded in time in soil.

Heavy metals, of course, are the exception. Once they are there, they are there forever, though they can be altered and converted into differing forms.

Don't forget the micro plastics

 

[Walton2]

Don't forget the micro plastics

The Environment Agency do just that!!!

 

[Ffermer Bach]

If they can test for covid infection in sewage then it stands to reason that everything that goes down the loo, bath & washing machine ends up on farmland, that includes detergents, shampoos, drugs & chemicals of the entertainment variety as well as wash off from industrial units.
Makes cow sh!t seem perfectly heathy in comparison.

Wastewater tests suggest drop in cocaine use in London

Concentration of drug in city’s sewers may have fallen by almost a third over three years

www.theguardian.com

 

[wanton dwarf]

Wastewater tests suggest drop in cocaine use in London

Concentration of drug in city’s sewers may have fallen by almost a third over three years

www.theguardian.com

HMG could track who uses drugs via the sewerage system.

Pretty sure they'd track where any drugs are being manufactured too.

But they don't want to.

 

[yellow belly]

Some crop contracts do not allow sewage sludge for health reasons
some tenancy agreements do not allow it either

 

[T Hectares]

The things you mention will all degraded in time, the heavy metals, plastics etc in sewage sludge will be ther for all time.

And so will the heavy metals that are in muck, slurry, manufactured fertiliser and natural deposition
It’s been used in less safe forms for quite a while....https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_soil
Looking at the maximum levels in the previous reports, it would take a very long time of continued use to get anywhere near these levels
The plastics are another issue, who knows ??
If they are in sewage are they in water ? If your cows drink mains water is it not in their slurry ??