Biosolids moratorium urged in Ontario

Toronto-The opposition New Democratic Party, with support from farmer, environmentalist, and other activist organizations, is calling on the McGuinty provincial government to impose an immediate moratorium on the use of biosolids as fertilizer on Ontario farms. “There are too many unanswered questions about the human health effects of sludge to allow this practice to continue,” declared France Gélinas, member of the provincial parliament and NDP health critic. “Especially when we don’t know the health impacts, why take the risk and use sewer sludge on our farm fields?” Gélinas cited statistics showing that 120,000 tons of biosolids are spread on 15,000 hectares of farm fields each year in Ontario “without any systematic monitoring of related health concerns.” Both the environmental group SludgeWatch and the National Farmers Union are speaking out in support of the NDP position. SludgeWatch’s Maureen Reilly charged that in spite of health complaints, the McGuinty government has failed to address problems. “With recent outbreaks of E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria,” Reilly noted, “it makes no sense to continue applying sewer wastes on our farmland.” Grant Robertson, NFU Ontario coordinator, said his organization has had a policy opposing biosolids use as fertilizer since 2001. “The National Farmers Union wants to protect food safety and the environment, and we know that there are many toxic residues present in sewage sludge. Until processes are in place to remove all these toxic residues, our members believe the spreading of sewage sludge should be prohibited,” Robertson asserted. He conceded that skyrocketing chemical fertilizer costs contribute to pressures to use biosolids, but cautioned that any short-term economic gain will be outweighed by the destructive long-term impact. “Until processes are in place to remove all these toxic residues from sewage sludge, we believe the spreading of sewage sludge should be prohibited,” Robertson insisted. He added that in the meantime, contractors should be required to conduct environmental impact studies before applying.