Summary
This narrative review synthesises evidence on the dual nature of organic amendments in agriculture, documenting both their contributions to soil organic matter, nutrient supply, and crop productivity, and their risks as vectors for heavy metals, persistent pollutants, pathogens, antibiotic residues, resistant bacteria, and microplastics. The authors highlight emerging pollutants—particularly antibiotic resistance and microplastic contamination—as topics of current concern for human and environmental health, and discuss strategies to balance the agronomic advantages of amendment application with mitigation of associated risks.
Regional applicability
The findings are broadly applicable to United Kingdom agriculture, where organic amendments (particularly sewage sludge, compost, and manure) are widely used. The review's emphasis on antibiotic resistance and microplastic contamination is relevant to UK soil and water quality policy; however, specific risk assessments and mitigation strategies would need adaptation to UK regulatory frameworks and amendment composition profiles.
Key measures
Qualitative assessment of soil health benefits, contaminant types and concentrations, presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes, microplastic prevalence in amended soils
Outcomes reported
The paper reviews the potential benefits of organic amendments (manure, compost, sewage sludge, slurry) for soil health and crop productivity, alongside documented risks including heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, pathogens, antibiotic residues, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and microplastics. It discusses emerging strategies to mitigate these risks whilst retaining agronomic benefits.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Ask about this record, its theme or its relevance to UK farming and policy. Pulse AI uses selected catalogue evidence and cites the sources it draws on.