Stop the Spreading of Toxic Sludge

Greenpeace’s investigative arm exposes serious weaknesses in the Environment Agency’s controls on an industry that spreads millions of tonnes of sewage sludge on farmland each year.

In June 2025, after years of campaigning and legal action, DEFRA strengthened the Farming Rules for Water. However, the new rules left loopholes that allowed manure to be spread when crops didn’t need it, which often leads to unnecessary pollution in rivers like the Severn. The update rules fell short on:

1) Autumn manure spreading: It didn’t go far enough to clarify the rules around autumn manure spreading – a practice often linked to river pollution.

2) A lack of clarity around enforcement thresholds: I.e., how are the rules actually going to be enforced.

A month later, following River Action’s letter to DEFRA seeking urgent clarification on the loophole, the government confirmed that manure must only be applied when it meets crop or soil needs at the time of application. This long-overdue change marks a major step towards reducing agricultural pollution, protecting our waterways, and holding regulators and polluters to account.

A judicial review, brought against the Environment Agency by the environmental campaign group, Fighting Dirty, concerns the agency’s strategy for safe and sustainable sludge use.

Although the Environment Agency was found to not be at fault for the delay in introducing rules on testing sludge for long-lasting harmful chemicals before it is used as fertiliser, the case spurred UK ministers to prioritise the issue.

Unearthed expose how water companies are panicking they will be left unable to dispose of millions of tonnes of sewage sludge due to tougher pollution rules and rising concern over the contaminants it contains.

The water companies fear that increased scrutiny of sludge-spreading in the UK could trigger a “backlash” akin to the public outrage they have faced over sewage released into rivers and seas.

Analysis found that in a “worst-case” scenario the industry could be left with “3.4 million wet tonnes” of sludge with nowhere to go.

Jonah Fisher reports on growing concern in the UK over the widespread practice of spreading treated sewage sludge (known as biosolids) on farmland as a fertiliser. Around 3.5 million tonnes of sludge are applied to fields each year, but scientists, farmers and campaigners warn it contains a mix of contaminants that are not covered by current regulations and can accumulate in soil and water with potential long-term impacts on soil health, crop safety and human health. Critics argue that UK rules governing sludge use are outdated, with testing requirements set decades ago and no legal limits on many modern pollutants.

Environmental leaders and former regulators say repeated calls for stricter regulation have been ignored by government, prolonging a “regulatory gap.” Some farmers express alarm about the unknown effects on soil and food safety, while water companies warn that tightening the rules could force them to incinerate or landfill the waste, increasing costs for bill payers.

The petition harnesses the shared public outrage over toxic sewage sludge, and asks Secretary of State to:

– Stop the spreading of toxic sewage sludge on farmland

– Make water companies pay the true cost of disposing of this toxic waste safely

– Properly regulate and set legal limits on sewage sludge passed to farmers

Over 60,000 people have signed and it remains open – make your voice heard.

The long awaited report from Sir Jon Cunliffe’s Water Commission mentions tougher regulatory oversight of sludge.

Petition signatures are handed to Minister Hardy outside DEFRA, the day before River Action’s Agricultural Strategy is launched in Parliament.