The Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1990

These regulations implement Council Directive 86/278/EEC on the protection of the environment, and in particular soil, when sewage sludge is used on agricultural land. They prohibit the use of sludge from sewage treatment works being spread on agricultural land unless specified requirements are fulfilled.

The soil and the sludge must be tested before sludge is applied to land to determine the application rate, so as to avoid a build up of nutrients and heavy metals. The sludge producer must keep a register of the quality and quantities of sludge supplied for use in agriculture, the details of the person and farmland supplied and the analysis and assessments carried out on the farmland used. The occupier of the land must supply the producer of the sludge with information about the agricultural units on which the sludge was applied and how it was used.

The Regulations also specify certain activities that are not permitted on land following sludge application, until certain periods of time have elapsed.

Enforcement of this legislation is carried out by the Department of the Environment's Environment and Heritage Service.