CANADA: Biosolids on the farm: just the facts

09.jul.09
Chronicle Herald
Rae Wallin

Rae Wallin, president, N-Viro Systems Canada, writes in this opinion piee that
opponents of the use of biosolids in agriculture want the public to believe that
there is little to no governance to ensure that biosolids are treated to strict
standards or properly regulated when applied to agriculture lands. They also infer
that regulatory bodies have relied solely on the 1993 Environmental Protection
Agency rules, and hence are out of date with current science.
The facts are simply not in support of their position.
The proper use of biosolids has been the focus of hundreds of university and other
research studies over the past decades, and these studies have confirmed that the
risk of adverse effects to the environment and to human health is lower than other
accepted agricultural land application practices. Decades of research by independent
scientists have concluded that when biosolids are used in accordance with guidelines
and regulations, they present negligible risk to the consumer, crop production and
the environment.
Governments in Canada, the United States and Europe have been using biosolids on
agricultural land for over 30 years. The use of biosolids on agricultural land is
highly regulated. These regulations address environmental quality, food safety and
human health issues that are associated with improper use or overuse.
In Nova Scotia, a pasteurized Halifax soil amendment product (HSA) is produced using
the patented process of N-Viro Systems Canada LP. The N-Viro process is sustainable,
safe, green and natural. It turns two waste products destined for landfills into a
valuable, organic soil amendment. The Federal Fertilizers Act governs HSA. The
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) administers this act. HSA is regularly tested
by independent laboratories and CFIA to ensure that it meets the Fertilizer Act
requirements. These tests are also shared with the Nova Scotia Department of
Environment to insure that HSA meets and exceeds their guidelines. These test
results are posted on the N-Viro web site, www.n-viro.ca.
HSA has a significant agronomic value to farmers. It contains much-needed nutrients
for crops and helps the farmers better manage the acidic nature of their farmland at
an affordable cost. The value of the fertilizer content of HSA is over $175 a tonne,
but it is sold for much less than that. Because it is a soil amendment and not a
waste for disposal, HSA is only sold to farmers through authorized fertilizer
product distributors and is applied to land in accordance with nutrient management
plans maintained by the farmers.
There is also a growing non-food use for HSA - land reclamation and soil-blending
being two examples. In addition, in Nova Scotia, HSA is being used by sugar-beet
farmers to increase crop yields. The beets will be used to produce ethanol.
HSA is tested monthly and in some cases every two weeks for the following: arsenic,
cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, selenium,
zinc, fecal coliform, thallium and salmonella.
At a recent symposium put on by the Nova Scotia Environmental Network, Dr. Murray
McBride from Cornell University stated the Halifax soil amendment applied at
agronomic rates would be no threat to Nova Scotia soils.
It is incorrect to assume that what "goes down the toilet" is applied to
agricultural land. HSA is treated and the pathogen destruction is complete. HSA has
achieved EQ (exceptional quality) status, which places it two levels above Class B
biosolids that are currently used for land application. HSA is essentially pathogen
free. Class B biosolids are not.
Halifax Regional Municipality and N-Viro Systems Canada have agreed to have the CCME
(Canadian Council of the Ministers for the Environment) and Nova Scotia Agricultural
College conduct further independent testing on HSA. Currently, research using the
N-Viro soil amendment is being conducted in Ontario at the Vineland Research
Station, Ag Canada Research Station in London, and by Environment Canada.
While the application of HSA to agricultural land is a relatively recent program in
Nova Scotia, the same soil amendment produced in Ontario has been used by farmers
for more than 12 years and in the United States since the early 1980s with
exceptional results for soil health, crop production and environmental
sustainability.
The use of treated biosolids on agricultural land as a beneficial nutrient-rich
organic material is good for the environment: It improves soil structure and tilth,
increases moisture retention, increases organic matter, decreases soil erosion, and
provides much-needed nutrients to our natural capital - soils.