Guidance

Landspreading: provide a waste and receiving soil analysis

Updated 29 July 2024

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/landspreading-apply-to-deploy-mobile-plant/landspreading-provide-a-waste-and-receiving-soil-analysis

As part of your landspreading deployment application, you must provide the full analytical results for:

  • each waste stream
  • the receiving soil

The Environment Agency expect you to get advice on the type and extent of the analysis from a person with the appropriate technical expertise. For example, a fertiliser advisers certification and training scheme (FACTS) qualified adviser.

For both the receiving soil and waste analyses you must consider contaminants, including the limits for potentially toxic elements (PTEs). The PTE limits are set to protect animal health and the food chain. You must use the Sewage sludge in agriculture: code of practice for the PTE limits. This applies to all deployments for any waste type.

You must use the waste and receiving soil analyses to describe the benefits and potential risks from storing and spreading each waste stream in your benefit statement.

When the Environment Agency assess your deployment application, they will:

  • use the information you provided
  • use their professional knowledge
  • assess it against established standards

The Environment Agency may ask you to provide further analysis if your test results do not:

  • give enough information
  • characterise the waste accurately

If your deployment application is approved, it does not guarantee that using the waste is safe. A new or previously unidentified issue may arise. For example, a new hazard or property not included in your application. It is important to do a thorough assessment. Consider for example, that some materials may be taken up by plants and bioaccumulate in the food chain.

Use an accredited laboratory

Use an accredited laboratory to analyse the soil and waste samples.

For example, you can use:

If you are landspreading waste soil you must use MCERTS. The Environment Agency recommend that you also use this approach to test receiving soils.

The accredited laboratory must use appropriate methods for sample preparation, analysis and reporting.

Identify and describe the soil

Identify and describe the soil type in your benefit statement. You can determine the physical properties of the soil by its:

  • texture – percentage of sand, silt and clay
  • organic matter content
  • depth
  • underlying geological parent material

You cannot significantly alter the physical properties of the soil. However, you can improve its structure and fertility. For example, by adding organic matter.

The soil description will help you to understand how your waste can influence the:

  • pH
  • nutrient reserves and availability
  • behaviour of any trace minerals, PTEs and other contaminants

You can assess the nutrient requirement of:

  • the buffering capacity
  • nutrient retention
  • leachability
  • potential for run-off
  • the soil nitrogen status based on the soil type and previous cropping

Work out your soil type and description

You can use step 1 of the field assessment method in Section 3 grass and forage crops of the AHDB Nutrient Management Guide (RB209) to identify the soil category and description.

For example:

  • soil category – deep silty soil
  • soil description – silt clay loam texture

You can find further information on soil assessment in:

Use suitable soil sampling methods

The Environment Agency expects you to use the:

  • soil sampling methods given in RB209 for phosphorous, potassium, magnesium and sodium
  • Sewage sludge in agriculture: code of practice for PTEs, pH and other properties of the soil

If you use a different approach you must explain this and why you used it.

Get specialist advice to confirm that your sampling method is suitable for:

  • your requirements
  • determining soil mineral nitrogen
  • other hazards

When you take samples:

  • avoid taking them when the soil is very dry, that means it is physically hard to take the sample
  • leave as long as possible after the last fertiliser, manure or waste application
  • do not take them within 6 months of lime or fertiliser application (except nitrogen)
  • if possible, take them after the last application has been cultivated into the soil
  • take them from representative areas, for example not from where stock congregate, on bonfire sites, in gateways or on manure heap sites
  • reflect the depth of the cropping rotation on the receiving land

You must consider any recent landspreading activities. You may have the sample results from a previous deployment. For example, recent spreading of sewage sludge may have increased the levels of PTEs in the soil. In these cases, you must always provide a new sample analysis.

For soil that receives sludge or waste containing PTEs use the requirements in Section 6 of the Sewage sludge in agriculture: code of practice. Where specific requirements are not provided use RB209 or other standards.

The Environment Agency expect you to provide a new representative soil sample and analysis where a recent deployment or land treatment activity could have changed the PTE levels in the soil.

For nutrient sampling, take:

  • cores in a ‘W’ or ‘M’ pattern across the field and do this in 10 hectare (ha) blocks
  • 25 individual sub-samples (cores) per uniform area (10ha block)

The samples taken across the receiving land must reflect the:

  • soil type
  • nutrient status (phosphorus, potassium and magnesium)
  • pH
  • PTEs, if applicable
  • crops grown
  • manures, fertilisers and wastes previously applied

Effects of cultivation on sample depth

Your samples must represent the nutrients available in the plough layer. Consider the cultivation system used on the land that you will sample for phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and pH. It can affect the distribution of nutrients within the topsoil. For example, the effect of minimum tillage, known as ‘min till’ with or without ‘occasional plough’ (after several years).

The standard depths of sampling for regular plough systems are:

  • 150mm for arable and field vegetables
  • 75mm for long term grassland

However, this depends on:

  • crop rotation for pH and nutrients
  • monitoring of PTEs

Use these examples to develop your approach. If you use these sampling depths, you must justify why you used them in your benefit statement. They must reflect the plough system used and the nutrient profile.

Example 1 Regular plough systems

The nutrients are mixed in a uniform soil layer in the plough layer 150mm to 300mm deep. If you take a core up to 150mm deep, the nutrient concentrations will represent the entire layer.

Example 2 Regular shallow cultivation to 50mm depth (min-till)

Applied nutrients tend to accumulate in the top 50mm layer forming strata (seams or layers) through the top 300mm of the soil. If you take a core up to 150mm deep it will result in an overestimate of nutrient concentrations to normal plough depth. Therefore underestimating the availability of nutrients to the following crop. Take samples to about 230mm for greater accuracy.

Example 3 Occasional ploughing systems with min-till

The top 50mm of the soil layer is occasionally turned around to a plough depth of 150mm to 300mm. If you take a sample core depth to 150mm, it could result in an underestimation of the available nutrients to the crop. This is because the sample will not represent the top layer.

How often to do sampling

Most soil systems, pH and nutrient levels, other than inorganic nitrogen, change slowly. So, it is not necessary to resample and analyse every year. Use the recommended sampling frequency in RB209 or where applicable the Sewage sludge in agriculture: code of practice.

If a sensitive crop is grown as part of the rotation, for which benefit is being claimed, take soil samples well in advance of planting this crop to allow for the soil to adjust.

You may need to sample and analyse acidic soils more often.

To justify nutrient need for the years you have not sampled, you can use steps 2 to 5 of the field assessment method described in section 3 of RB209.

You must not use the field assessment method in place of a regular soil sampling programme and analysis. Justify the frequency of sampling in your benefit statement. The Environment Agency may require you to do more.

Waste analysis

Your waste analysis must be representative of the waste that will be spread. The analysis must be done:

  • within 12 months of the deployment application date

  • more recently if the waste producer has changed any waste inputs or treatment processes

  • before any mixing, such as for ease of storage or spreading

You must follow ‘Use an accredited laboratory’ in this guide.

You must:

  • identify and justify the substances you reasonably expect to be present in the waste for testing

  • justify any substances not tested for

  • select relevant parameters for analysis

  • provide evidence of the benefit or improvement the nutrients or properties will provide

  • know any potential negative impacts and describe them

  • provide evidence that there are no contaminants in the waste that could result in disbenefit

  • provide evidence that the waste application will not cause build-up of PTEs in the receiving soil to an unacceptable level

  • describe the type of sampling and analysis done to quantify the concentrations of substances present

You can get information from:

Use suitable waste sampling methods

Find guidance in Appendix D: Waste classification technical guidance WM3 on how to do waste sampling. Using this will provide confidence in the reliability and interpretation of the results.

You can use professional judgement and the following resources and standards. They provide information and guidelines on waste sampling for some waste types:

These British Standards are available to buy:

Identify analytical suites and parameters for the waste

The Environment Agency expects to see these types of analytical suites and parameters in your waste analysis:

  • macronutrients such as total and ammoniacal nitrogen, calcium and relevant values for phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sulphur
  • micronutrients such as boron, sodium, manganese
  • PTEs or other contaminants
  • physical properties such as per cent of dry matter, organic matter (per cent dry solids), bulk density
  • chemical properties such as pH, conductivity, neutralising value, biological and chemical oxygen demand
  • other contaminants such as iodine in blood waste and vanadium in poultry litter ash
  • physical contaminants such as metals, glass and plastics

This list is not prescriptive, exhaustive or a minimum requirement of what you need to analyse for.

You may need a specific waste analysis for:

  • pathogens such as escherichia coli, salmonella
  • animal and crop diseases
  • other microorganisms
  • noxious weeds, such as invasive species
  • carbon to nitrogen ratio in composts
  • sodium levels in salty wastes
  • stone content
  • asbestos
  • organic pollutants such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons and dioxins

Include any other properties of the waste stream that may affect the soil.

Your analysis must include:

  • the date the sample was taken
  • the sampling methodology
  • details about the laboratory
  • the test results for each waste stream

Assess the results

Review the results and check for:

  • high levels of a substance or contamination with unsuitable waste types
  • peaks in sulphur content which can show evidence of plasterboard or gypsum
  • peaks in PTE levels such as copper, nickel and arsenic (which can show evidence of treated timberboard)
  • peaks in organic compounds which can show evidence of liquid wastes

You can use the following to help you to assess the potential benefits or negative impacts of applying your waste:

Receiving soil analysis

You must provide an accurate and representative receiving soil analysis for each area of land you will treat.

The results of your waste analysis will quantify the nutrients it can provide when it is spread. The results of the soil analysis will show the current soil status. By looking at both you can assess which soil properties need adjusting and by how much.

You must use the results to:

  • produce a benefit statement
  • provide evidence of agricultural benefit or ecological improvement

You must follow ‘Use an accredited laboratory’ in this guide.

Define the analytical suite for the receiving soil

The analytical suite must reflect the physical and chemical properties of the soil. It must be specific to your deployment. You can base your soil sampling on your understanding of:

  • the land, such as topography
  • its location in relation to groundwater source protection zone 2, groundwater safeguard zone for nitrate, nitrate vulnerable zone and other sensitive receptors
  • the soil type, its nutrient status and how likely the concentrations of chemical elements or compounds that are naturally present will increase
  • any previous analysis and later applications of waste, sewage sludge, other organic manure or fertiliser
  • the past land use, such as previous land treatment, former industrial uses, and the likely presence of PTEs and other contaminants
  • future land use, such as the next crop and the cropping cycle
  • the benefit you are claiming from spreading the waste stream to land

Where appropriate, justify any substance or property of the soil that is not analysed for.

You must consider the potential site-specific risks from the waste stream to the receiving soil. These include for example:

  • addition of PTEs or other contaminants
  • over-application of nutrients
  • changes to soil pH that result in increased availability of certain metals

The Environment Agency expects to see these types of analytical suites and parameters in your receiving soil analysis:

  • soil category and description – see ‘Identify and describe the soil’ in this guide
  • macronutrients, such as relevant values for phosphorus, potassium and magnesium
  • micronutrients, such as boron, sodium and manganese
  • physical properties, such as per cent dry matter, organic matter (per cent dry solids) and moisture content
  • chemical properties, such as pH, liming requirements
  • PTEs
  • other determinands if contamination is suspected
  • other crop or land specific requirements, such as those set out in RB209

This list is not prescriptive, exhaustive or a minimum requirement of what you should analyse.

Use the soil analysis to help you to understand how the applied waste will affect the nutrient reserves and availability as well as the behaviour of any trace minerals and PTEs.

Consider PTEs in the receiving soil

For PTEs, you must consider sources that have built up in the soil previously, such as from:

  • waste, sewage sludge or slurry applications to land
  • past land management and cropping practices
  • the deposit of atmospheric pollutants such as historic lead particulates from traffic or other industrial air pollution

PTE limits for soil testing

Use the Sewage sludge in agriculture: code of practice for PTE limits.

See section:

  • 6.3 for PTE limits in soil used for arable farming

  • 6.4 for PTE limits in soil used as grassland

  • 6.5 for the limits for acidic soils with a low pH

Limits of detection

When analysing for PTEs you must make sure the laboratory can achieve these limits of detection in mg/kg of dry matter:

  • zinc – 50
  • copper – 25
  • nickel – 10
  • cadmium – 1
  • lead – 25
  • mercury – 0.1

Schedule 1 of Sewage (Use in Agriculture) Regulations sets out the requirements for testing sludge.

If a previous receiving soil analysis showed PTEs to be approaching threshold values, then you will need to provide a new analysis of these parameters.

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