PFAS-linked fertiliser used in 111 fields

A government has published a list of more than 100 fields where a fertiliser linked to forever chemicals was spread in 2024 and 2025.

Biosolids are used by farmers but there is a growing concern by experts about the presence of PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, in the fertiliser.

Jersey Infrastructure Minister Jonathan Renouf, who published the list which had 111 fields on it, said scientific tests showed there was no PFAS contamination in the fields where the biosolids were used.

PFAS were present in firefighting foam used at the airport fire training ground in the early 1990s and leaked into the neighbouring area and private borehole water supplies.

PFAS takes a long time to break down in the body and has been linked to serious health conditions.

The Government of Jersey previously declined to release the list of fields where biosolids had been spread but Renouf has now published that list in line with "a decision by the information commissioner".

In a statement, he said his preference would "always have been" to publish the list and while under the previous council there were concerns about commercial sensitivities "for me that is balanced by the public's right to know what is being spread on the fields where their food is grown".

"My guiding principle is that we should always follow the scientific evidence," he said.

"That is why we set up the PFAS Scientific Advisory Panel and that is why we have engaged in rigorous testing of PFAS levels throughout the island.

"This is a situation where there is no ambiguity or room for doubt - we have hard scientific data which shows that these fields are not contaminated."

However there are growing concerns internationally about the link between PFAS and biosolids.

A study in the Journal of Hazardous Materials said: "Farmers, once eager recipients of biosolids as a nutrient-rich soil amendment, are becoming cautious about accepting these materials.

"This shift in attitude is largely driven by public perception and emerging regulatory concerns surrounding PFAS contamination and other emerging contaminants in the biosolids."

The study said: "The regulatory environment for PFAS in biosolids varies significantly across the globe, reflecting the rapidly evolving nature of PFAS science and policy.

"Some regions have established testing requirements but have not yet set specific limits for PFAS in biosolids."

In a fact sheet supplied with Renouf's statement, the government said: "PFAS chemicals have been detected in Jersey biosolids at low levels.

"Independent assessments have found that the concentrations present in biosolids would contribute only a very small additional amount of PFAS to soil when applied at approved rates.

"The estimated contribution is substantially below the proposed screening threshold used to identify PFAS-affected agricultural land.

"Current evidence indicates that land does not become contaminated simply because biosolids have been applied."

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