The PFAS and Agriculture Policy Workgroup, led by American Farmland Trust (AFT), recently released policy recommendations urging federal lawmakers and agencies to address PFAS contamination on agricultural land.
Often referred to as forever chemicals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of thousands of synthetic chemicals widely used in industrial and consumer products. They break down very slowly, and research in the Journal of Environmental Research has shown that they can accumulate in water, air, soil, and plants.
On farms, PFAS contamination can be a result of the spreading of wastewater sludge, or biosolids, by farmers unaware that their fertilizer is contaminated. They can also infiltrate soil and water through runoff from manufacturing plants, landfills, and military facilities.
Several studies have linked PFAS exposure with negative health outcomes, including liver, kidney, and immune diseases, according to a study in the Journal of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. PFAS exposure has also been associated with certain forms of cancer.
Amid growing concern about the threat PFAS contamination poses to farmers, farm businesses, and food safety nationwide, AFT launched a multi-stakeholder effort in 2024 to create a set of policy recommendations. Representing commodity, farmer, conservation, health, and research groups, as well as state departments of agriculture, the Workgroup calls for a coordinated federal response.
“This is not just another set of recommendations on PFAS. This is the first and only set of comprehensive federal policy recommendations on PFAS and agriculture,” Emily Liss, Farm Viability Policy Manager at AFT, tells Food Tank. She describes them as first steps, designed to be pragmatic and bipartisan.
The Workgroup advocates for Congress to create a dedicated agricultural PFAS relief and support program. Contamination can be devastating for farmers and ranchers, who may be forced to stop or change their production, in addition to grappling with potential health implications. This program would support farmers’ physical and mental health, assist them in replacing lost income, and help farmers invest in operational changes to stay safely in production, among other supports.
“This is about people. This is about families and human health first and foremost,” Liss tells Food Tank.
This approach draws from Maine’s experience, where PFAS was first detected on a dairy farm in 2016. The state established a comprehensive safety net to support PFAS-impacted farmers’ health, businesses, and land. “In Maine we have found that, with adequate support, many farms impacted by PFAS contamination are able to stay in operation,” Shelley Megquier, Policy and Research Director at Maine Farmland Trust, tells Food Tank.
The Workgroup also recommends measures to reduce additional PFAS contamination—an approach they call “turning off the tap.” As there is currently no known, scalable way to remove PFAS from soil, the Workgroup says this is critical. “The only way that we’re ever going to get ahead of the PFAS issue is if we stop putting it on farmland,” says Liss.
To achieve this, the Workgroup calls for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to consider setting a threshold for PFAS in biosolids used in agriculture and to identify existing programs to help farmers transition away from their use. But Liss says this is a challenging issue, as many farmers have long relied on biosolids as a low-cost fertilizer. She emphasizes that the EPA should conduct research to set a threshold that is protective of human health. “Farmers just want to know what they’re putting on their land. They want to make sure that they’re putting safe things on their land,” she says.
Research on PFAS is another priority area of the recommendations. The Workgroup urges the federal government to establish PFAS as a research priority and to coordinate research across federal agencies. “PFAS is still an emerging issue, there is established research that can inform a policy response but there also continues to be a lot to learn,” Megquire tells Food Tank. “We know that the most severe levels of PFAS contamination are highly localized – better understanding where those ‘hotspots’ are around the country is important so that impacted farmers can get support.”
The recommendations also propose measures to protect farmers from legal liability for having contaminated land, strengthen collaboration across federal programs and agencies, and improve communication to farmers and the general public.
The recently reintroduced bipartisan, bicameral Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act addresses critical needs outlined in these recommendations and was strongly endorsed by AFT.
“PFAS contamination is a threat to American agriculture—but with the right policies, we can protect the health of farmers and farm families, keep farms in business, maintain a safe food supply, and protect our farmland,” Megquire tells Food Tank. “Lucky for all of us, this is a nonpartisan issue with commonsense solutions.”
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Photo courtesy of Bill Sturgell, Unsplash
