Organic Wastes Research Programme (B17)

At present it is difficult to assess the relative risk to the consumer from the agricultural use of organic wastes. This programme aims to provide the information that will enable the Food Standards Agency to make such an assessment and to decide what action, if any, is required to protect public health.

This research will assist the Agency to base its decisions on the best available scientific evidence and in meeting its target of reducing the incidence of food poisoning by 20% by April 2006. It will also assist with the development and implementation of the Agency's policy on the microbiological safety of fruit and vegetables.

Over the last few years there have been increasing concerns about the microbiological food safety implications of the possible transfer of pathogens from organic waste (sewage sludge, animal manure and abattoir waste) to the food chain. While these concerns mainly relate to the agricultural use of these wastes and the potential contamination of fruit and vegetables (many of which are consumed raw), there is also the issue of more indirect contamination of shellfish beds via run-off of water from land and sewage discharge consent applications.

Although organic waste is a common link, the programme is managed as two distinct parts: the first dealing with waste on land and the second with waste in estuaries and the sea.

It is hoped that outputs from this programme will significantly advance the Agency's knowledge of survival and levels of pathogens in animal slurries, farmyard manures and abattoir waste and provide further information on the sources and levels of pathogens in shellfish beds.

Outputs from this programme of research will provide the Food Standards Agency with real time reliable information to support policy objectives of ensuring the safety of the nation's food supply.

Large quantities of organic wastes, mainly sewage sludge, animal manure and abattoir waste, are recycled to agricultural land in the UK as the most economical and environmentally friendly means of treatment and re-use. These materials have a fertiliser value, can reduce the costs of agricultural production and help maintain soil quality and fertility. However, because they can contain pathogenic microorganisms, concerns have been raised that there is potential for the transfer of pathogens from the waste to food crops and livestock.

The Government recognises there is a potential risk of the transfer of pathogens from organic waste to the food chain and therefore wished to set in place a structured programme of research and risk assessment into the use of all organic wastes on land.

A research programme directed by UKWIR and funded by DEFRA, EA and Water UK is also under way to carry out research into the effect of various sewage treatment methods and the survival of pathogens in the environment. FSA-funded research is therefore concentrating on animal manure and abattoir waste. However, there is close collaboration between all the funders to ensure that there is no duplication and all the relevant areas are covered.

The research programme addresses the policy objective to develop and implement the Agency's policy on the microbiological safety of fruit and vegetables and is part of the overall objective to reduce foodborne illness.

Prior to the research programme, there was very little data available on the levels of pathogens in manures and abattoir waste, when fresh, after storage and after application to land. At the conclusion of the programme, there should be a significant body of data from both laboratory and field experiments as well as from surveillance. This will have been fed into a risk assessment, the outcome of which should enable the Agency to assess whether further action is required to ensure the microbiological safety of fruit and vegetables. The guidance for farmers in relation to the use of manures and ready-to-eat crops will be based in part on the results of the research and may be updated and expanded following the outcome of the risk assessment.

The work on water use in agriculture should provide the Agency with an overview of the potential risks to food safety from the use of contaminated water. It may point towards where further research is needed and or where guidance to farmers on best practice is required.

Name: David Alexander
Tel: 020 7276 8949
Email: david.alexander@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk