Farmer loses in sludge scare fight

1 June 2001



Farmer loses in sludge scare fight

By David Green

A FARMER who agreed to remove thousands of tonnes of human sewage sludge from his land claims he was the victim of a scare-mongering campaign.

Local residents began to make complaints when they saw Anglian Water contractors delivering the sludge to Stephen Murphys Suffolk farm.

The sludge, known as bio-solids, is a waste product of sewage processing.

It has become increasingly popular as an agricultural fertiliser since the UK government banned its disposal at sea in 1998.

Mr Murphy said some villagers initially believed the lorry deliveries were of ground-down carcasses from the foot-and-mouth cull.

Despite assurances that the material was sewage sludge, concerns began to be voiced about smell and a perceived health risk from bacteria.

Anglian Water failed in an attempt to persuade villagers that the presence of the sludge did not present any danger.

As a result of the controversy, Mr Murphy has now been voted out as chairman of the local parish council.

He said he reluctantly agreed to move about 2500t of sludge from his 222ha (550-acre) farm at Stanstead after weeks of pressure.

Proposals to cover the stockpile with a layer of mulch or polythene were rejected by a residents campaign group which demanded the sludge be removed.

Mr Murphy, who has been using the sludge as a fertiliser for three years, said: “The protests started with a few people and just snowballed.”

Some of the protesters were not country people and did not understand routine farm practices or the environmental benefits of using organic fertilisers, he said.

“Its just outrageous. I have to find an alternative source of fertiliser and am now thinking of using chicken manure, but even this is being opposed.

Mr Murphy added: The residents are effectively trying to say that I cannot fertilise my fields with organic material.”

The sludge only emits a noticeable odour when it is disturbed and claims of a serious smell nuisance are vastly exaggerated, he said.

The 100-lorry load delivery is due to be moved in the next fortnight. Anglian Water said the sludge would not be taken to other farms near the village.

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