The practice of dumping of slurry (sewage) on to agricultural fields is “widespread”, according to an ongoing investigation carried out by the Ombudsman’s office.
The investigation is being carried out on the initiative of the Ombudsman, Joseph Said Pullicino, following reports in Times of Malta on the illegal practice occurring in Burmarrad.
Paul Abela, a Burmarrad farmer, reported farmers in adjacent fields who were paying bowsers around €13 to dump slurry on to agricultural fields.
The practice has continued despite his reports to different authorities since 2011, when he tested his water and discovered the presence of cancer-causing nitrates beyond permissible levels. The results were seen by Times of Malta.
It was obvious there are other cases – if it was only a single case we would have issued a report and that’s that
Dr Said Pullicino said the newspaper reports triggered the investigation, which revealed the practice is not limited to Burmarrad.
“We tapped out whether there had been other cases here and there and it was obvious that there are other cases – if it was only a single case we would have issued a report and that’s that.
“But the problem is widespread. Now they are working on it. They are having a meeting with experts and we will hopefully issue a report,” the Ombudsman said.
The investigation, called ‘The practice of dumping sewage slurry on cultivated land – negative impacts on health and environment’, is being conducted by two commissioners within the Ombudsman’s office: the commissioner for environment and planning, David Pace, and for health, Charles Messina.
Witnesses told Times of Malta that two inspectors took soil samples from agricultural fields in Burmarrad on April 7.
Although the department said it would take about a week to analyse the samples, no information has been given almost a month later.
Regular reminders are being sent to the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Roderick Galdes, to release the information.
The dumping of slurry on agricultural fields is banned because the whole country is classified as a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone. Agricultural practices are a major part of the problem since the main source of nitrate pollution in groundwater is the excessive use of natural and artificial fertilisers.
Farmers only given a ‘slap on wrist’ for nitrates abuse
Thirteen out of 15 groundwater bodies have high nitrate levels that are in excess of the EU quality standard, at times by several orders of magnitude.
The slurry is gathered from cesspit cleaning services at animal farms. It spurs plant growth and provides good yields even if food safety is questionable as contaminants travel through the food chain.
When slurry is spread on fields, it seeps into the ground contaminating the water supply. This raises questions on the quality of agricultural produce across the island since farmers use boreholes to extract groundwater to irrigate their fields.
The agriculture department said it follows each and every complaint on nitrates abuse, but when caught, farmers only get a slap on the wrist.
They are given a time frame to draw up crop and fertiliser plans to regularise their position, with penalties only being triggered by lack of compliance or repeated breaches.
The Environmental Health Department said food safety tests were held through an “ad hoc sampling programme” at least once a year, particularly spinach and lettuce.
This year, a farmers’ market, wholesale market and some retailers are being targeted.