11 March 2026
Defra is consulting on its proposals to tighten controls for spreading sewage sludge on farmland.
Defra is now consulting on potential reform measures to improve the current regulatory regime and uphold safety and confidence in spreading practices.
Options currently being explored by the government include bringing controls under environmental permitting, amending the current regulations to introduce a charging scheme, or updating requirements as and when the evidence supports this rather than through regulation.
You can keep track of the NFU’s progress on this consultation on this page.
10 March 2026
The NFU's survey has now closed for responses. You can still feed into the government's consultation directly until 24 March 2026 at: GOV.UK | Consultation on the regulatory framework for sludge applied to agriculture.
27 January 2026
The spreading of sewage sludge (biosolids) to land has been regulated through SUIAR (The Sludge [Use in Agriculture] Regulations) 1989 and a supporting code of practice.
These regulations have not undergone substantial revisions since their implementation 37 years ago.
Defra is now consulting on potential reform measures to improve the current regulatory regime and uphold safety and confidence in spreading practices.
Specifically, the consultation seeks views on three options for reforming the underlying regulatory framework governing the use of sludge on agricultural land:
The consultation can be read in full at: GOV.UK | Consultation on the regulatory framework for sludge applied to agriculture.
This page was first published on 18 February 2026. It was updated on 11 March 2026.
Once you have submitted your query someone from NFU CallFirst will contact you. If needed, your query will then be passed to the appropriate NFU policy team.