Biosolids Assurance Scheme - Water UK Events seminar 19th... · Whole water industry has agreed to join the scheme. Response from food chain stakeholders has been very positive to

Biosolids Assurance Scheme

A sustainable solution

19th September, 2013

Programme for today

An introduction to the scheme

An outline of the scheme and standard

Biosolids – safety and benefits

Creating confidence in the food chain

Panel questions and answers

Lunch and networking opportunity

An introduction to the scheme

Simon Black

Anglian Water and

Chair of Water UK Biosolids Network

Outlets for sewage sludge

Land area and biosolids applications

Agricultural land area (England, Scotland, Wales) c.11m hectares.

Biosolids applications c.150,000 hectares/annum.

Around 1.5% of agricultural land treated each year.

c.1 million tonnes dry solids of biosolids applied to land.

Average rate of c.6 tonnes dry solids/hectare.

Biosolids often stored at water company sites and on fields.

Majority recycled between crops – July to September.

c.90% biosolids are applied in advance of combinable crops.

Defra waste strategy – best practicable environmental option

for sewage sludge

Waste prevention

Re-use

Recycle/compost

Energy recovery

Disposal

Recycling

to land

Incineration with

energy recovery

Landfill

Sludge management options

Defra Waste Strategy

What is changing?

Biosolids recycling

Legislation, codes and

best practice

DRIVERS

Food safety

Food provenance

Environmental

protection

Sustainability

ACTIONS

Investment

Product and marketing

improvement

Research

Customers and

stakeholders

Biosolids Assurance

Scheme

“A vehicle for change”

Objectives and benefits

Biosolids

Assurance

Scheme Provides information

and promotes public

acceptance

Provides assurance

to food chain

stakeholders

Achieves operational

consistency and

transparency

Combines legislative

and non-legislative

requirements, and

best practice

Ensures delivery of

nutrient benefits to

agriculture

Protection of the

environment -

sustainability

P

Activity and schedule

Whole water industry has agreed to join the scheme.

Response from food chain stakeholders has been very positive to date.

We want to check with you that we are heading in the right direction.

The Scheme and Standard are currently in draft form.

We want your input prior to Scheme launch.

Baseline for national certification - current controls and best practice.

Evidence base, via Technical Advisory Committee will support further

development of the Standard.

An outline of the Scheme and Standard

Doug Grieve

Grieve Strategic

Food chain reassurance

Increased

confidence

BIOSOLIDS

+

Biosolids Assurance

Scheme

=

Increased

Reassurance

FARM OUTPUTS

+ Quality Assurance

Schemes

= Increased

Reassurance

Agriculture

The Scheme dynamics

Water industry

Membership Board

The Standard

The

Scheme

Administration Protocols

Marketing Stakeholder

engagement

Proposed scope for the Standard

PRIMARY SCOPE

Untreated sludge and septic tank inputs

Sludge treatment processing into biosolids

Biosolids and soil analyses

Transport and storage

Applications to agricultural land

SUBJECT TO RISK ASSESSMENTS

Sewage network

Trade effluent consents

Sewage treatment works

Untreated (raw) sludge production

Septic tank sludge

Risk assessment overview

SLUDGE

TREATMENT

FIELD STORAGE

Hazards

Microbiological parameters

Diffuse pollution and nuisance

odours

Microbiological parameters

impact on crops

Metals in soils and addition

rates to soils

Nutrient additions to soils

Diffuse pollution and nuisance

odours

Controls in Standard

HACCP process controls and

end product MACs

Storage risk assessment

Safe Sludge Matrix

Regulations and Code of

Practice restrictions

New Nutrient Management

Matrix

Spreading risk assessment

The Standard dynamics

Safe Sludge

Matrix

Certified

products

The

Standard

Technical

Advisory

Committee

Evidence base

Sludge regulations and code of

practice

HACCP

driven

process

Other regulations relevant to

sludge

Corrective

action

Specifications

Certification

bodies

Documentation

Standard development and audit

Draft standard P

Pilot audits (intercompany) to test the standard P

Develop standard to UKAS audit competence

Share with food chain stakeholders for feedback

Gain UKAS approval and appoint Certification Bodies

Water industry training of Certification Bodies assessors

Initial Certification Bodies audits 2014 - 2015

Biosolids

– Safety and Benefits

Brian J Chambers

ADAS

Legislative and non-legislative controls

1986 EU Directive on Sludge Use in Agriculture.

1989 Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations.

1996 Code of Practice for Agricultural Use of Sewage Sludge – best practice guidance.

Water industry HACCP guidelines.

Safe Sludge Matrix (ADAS).

Plus various others:

Codes of Good Agricultural Practice

Groundwater source protection zones

The Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations

Cross Compliance Requirements – Sewage sludge

Etc…

“Safe Sludge Matrix”

CROP GROUP CONVENTIONALLY

TREATED SLUDGES

ENHANCED

TREATED SLUDGES

FRUIT

SALADS

VEGETABLES

HORTICULTURE

(30 month harvest interval applies)

(12 month harvest interval applies)

P

P

P

P

COMBINABLE & ANIMAL

FEED CROPS P P

- GRAZED

GRASS & FORAGE

- HARVESTED

P

P

P

(Deep injected or

ploughed down only)

10 month harvest interval

applies

3 week no

grazing and

harvest interval

applies

3 week no

grazing and

harvest interval

applies

(No grazing in season

of application)

Managing biosolids to minimise risks

to food safety

“Multiple barrier approach”

Treatment (validated to give

2 log and 6 log

reductions in

E.coli)

Land spreading (maximum allowable E.coli

concentrations)

Food crops (harvest intervals)

Heavy metal concentrations in biosolids have decreased

mg/k

g (

dry

solid

s)

Zinc Copper Nickel Lead Chromium Cadmium Mercury

1982/83 (median)

2001/07 (mean)

Biosolids benefits to soils

Organic matter

Major plant nutrients: – phosphate and nitrogen

– sulphur and magnesium

Trace elements (copper)

Liming value

Chambers et al. (2003); 4 years of annual additions

Increased plant available water

Control Biosolids

Availa

ble

wate

r capacity %

Nutrient content of biosolids

- Phosphate, nitrogen, sulphur

Phosphate

• Phosphate fertiliser prices have increased dramatically over recent years

• Three ‘main’ producers

(USA export ban; China reintroduced export tariff)

• A finite non-renewable resource

Growing world population

EU launched “Consultative Communication on Sustainable Use of Phosphorus”

(July, 2013)

“We can get around declining oil production by using alternatives: but

we have no alternatives to rock phosphate”

Andy Barr, Farmers Weekly, June 2009

“Phosphorus is an irreplaceable part of modern

agriculture as there is no substitute for its use in

animal feed and fertiliser”

EU, July 2013

Crop available nitrogen to next and following crops

Taylor et al. (2011); ADAS Gleadthorpe

Cropping year

Nit

roge

n u

se e

ffic

ien

cy (

% t

ota

l N a

pp

lied

)

Sulphur deficiency in oilseed rape

Typical fertiliser value of biosolids

1 Assumes autumn surface application (medium/heavy soil)

Typical ‘charges’ to farmers for biosolids delivery and spreading in range £20-100/ha

Biosolids

type

Application rate

(t/ha)

Crop

available N 1

(kg/ha)

P2O5

(kg/ha)

K2O

(kg/ha)

Value

(£/ha)

Digested

cake 20 33 360 12 325

Lime

stabilised 20 25 520 16 448

Biosolids recycling to land – completes natural nutrient and carbon cycles

Biosolids Assurance

Scheme

Creating confidence in the food chain

David Clarke

Red Tractor Assurance

The Red Tractor label is put on meat to tell us it’s

British, but we’ve tested some and results show that it’s

unlikely.

Confidence?

Complexity of supply chain

Vast range of issues for people to worry about

Insatiable appetite of the media

Red Tractor An assurance of responsible production standards

across the UK supply chain

An industry self-regulatory initiative

Owned by food chain trade bodies

− Farm Unions to Retailers

Operating 15-20 years

Comprehensive set of farm standards – most commodities

Most UK production comes from Red Tractor assured farms

Combinable Crops Cattle / Sheep

Fresh Produce Pigs

Dairy Poultry

A mature system with high penetration Participation voluntary but every major UK buyer requires Red Tractor certification

Sector Proportion of UK farm production

by value/volume/acreage

Pigs 90%

Poultry 90%

Crops 80%

Produce (overall) 75%

Beef cattle 82%

Sheep 65%

Dairy 95%

c. 75,000 farm enterprises in UK 60,000 farm inspections pa

Scope of technical standards

Food safety and hygiene

Animal health & welfare

Environmental protection & sustainability

Based on:

EU / UK legislation

Codes of Good Agricultural Practice

Science

& market expectations

Every farm inspected regularly

Fewer government inspections – recognising

the farm is already checked

Red Tractor B2B Assurance

Operates as product certification scheme

Accredited to EN45011 (soon - ISO 17065:2012) from about 1996

Red Tractor B2C Logo

Appears on millions of food packs / £12 billion food every year

Allows consumers to identify quality assured British food

Provides a vehicle for communication and promotion

Point of sale

Advertising

TV football

Montenegro v England

Recent TV adverts for

Tesco , KFC, Aldi

By retailers and brands

By AHDB

By Red Tractor

Farm Banners

Red Tractor Week 16-22 September

A week of promotion

supported by trade partners

A Chain of Assurance

RT drives proper standards at every critical link in the supply chain (cycle?)

RT farms standards are prescriptive about farm inputs

Feed must be AIC / UFAS / FEMAS certified

Spray equipment tested NSTS

Training and Competence NRoSO, Poultry passport , pig CPD

Etc

RT logo can prescribe standards post farm gate

Certified livestock transport

TASCC certified grain transport and storage

Processing plants – BRC Global Standard

Biosolids Assurance Scheme

BAS can fit into this assured chain in exactly the same way

Obviously there are potential hazards from biosolids

− But track record shows that risks are manageable

RT standards have cross referenced Sludge Matrix from the start

Welcome this initiative to revitalise the matrix for the 21st Century

− More comprehensive

− Backed by formal certification

− A structure consistent with other schemes in the agri-food sector

Congratulate the water industry & look forward to working with you

Panel questions and answers