Sludge protest scaremongers claims farmer
Sludge protest scaremongers claims farmer
By David Green
A FARMER who agreed to remove thousands of tonnes of human sewage sludge from his land after weeks of pressure claims he is the innocent victim of a scare-mongering campaign.
Local residents began to make complaints when they saw Anglian Water contractors delivering the sludge to Stephen Murphys 222ha (550-acre) Springs Hall Farm at Stanstead, Suffolk.
The sludge, known as bio-solids, is a waste product of sewage processing and has been increasingly used as an agricultural fertiliser since the UK 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 and has reluctantly agreed to move about 2500t of sludge from his land.
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. The 100-lorry load delivery is due to be moved over the next fortnight. Anglian Water has been forced to give an assurance that it will not be taken to any other farm near the village.
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." A significant number 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. 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, said Mr Murphy. *
Kicking up a stink…Stephen Murphy disagrees with local villagers.