Table 1.
Environment and activities or products monitored or regulated by the Environment Agency of England, which play a potentially important role in the spread and maintenance of AMR in the environment.
| Environment | Intersection of Environment Agency with AMR |
|---|---|
| Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) |
1Discharge of treated effluent (from industry and municipal sewage) to land, coast or rivers. 1Disposal of sewage sludge 1,2,3Disposal of anaerobic digestate |
| Agriculture |
1Land spreading of manure, sewage sludge, and anaerobic digestate as fertilizer or soil conditioner. 1Bioaerosols from agriculture (pig and poultry farming) and composting. |
| Animal husbandry |
1Disposal of animal by-products 1,2Disposal of animal slurry and manure 1,2,3Disposal of anaerobic digestate |
| River water quality |
1,4Impact of sewage effluent 1,4Impact of diffuse pollution from farm-yard, manure- and biosolid-amended agricultural soil and storm runoff 1,4Freshwater fish farm |
| Coastal and bathing waters |
1,4Impact of farmyard runoff and sewage effluent on bathing water quality, and shellfish bed water quality 1,4Impact of aquaculture on coastal water quality. |
| Groundwater quality | 1,5Leaching of soil amendments (biosolids and manure) and chemical crop treatments |
Key regulations: 1Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 (Defra, 2013); 2Animal By-Products (Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2013 (Public Health England, 2013); 3Anaerobic digestate: PAS 110:2014 (BSI, 2014); 4Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD) (European Commission, 2000); 5The Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989 (Public Health England and Wales, and Public Health Scotland, 1989).