‘A Trojan horse’: how toxic sewage sludge became a threat to the future of British farming

Sludge used as fertiliser on farmland contains harmful chemicals that scientists suspect are entering food chainFor decades, sewage sludge has been quietly spread across Britain’s farmland, marketed as a nutrient-rich fertiliser. But insiders and scientists warn that hidden within it is a mix of household and industrial chemicals such as Pfas (“forever chemicals”), pharmaceuticals, pesticides, hormone-damaging chemicals and microplastics, threatening the long-term health of the