Responsibility for land spreading of sewage sludge, including all forms of waste, is a matter for my colleague the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. The land spreading of sewage sludge material as a fertiliser is covered under the Waste Management (Use of Sewage Sludge in Agriculture) Regulations, 1998 and its amendment the Waste Management (Use of Sewage Sludge in Agriculture) (Amendment) Regulations, 2001. Local Authorities have responsibility for maintaining a Sludge Register and for supervision of the supply and use of sludge in agriculture in their functional area. The application of sewage sludge to land must also comply with the European Communities (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2014.
Restrictions to the application of sludge for use in agriculture are imposed where naturally-occurring background levels of heavy metals exceed the maximum levels set out in the Regulations. Furthermore, the Regulations require that sludge is not used except in accordance with a Nutrient Management Plan. Therefore, sludge is only applied to agricultural land in accordance with a Nutrient Management Plan.