Protect Our Farms & Food from Forever Chemicals

Toxic ”forever chemicals” are contaminating America’s farmland and drinking water — pushing farmers and ranchers into a crisis they didn’t cause.

For decades, the federal government encouraged farmers to apply treated sewage sludge, often referred to as “biosolids”, to their fields as fertilizer. Only later did producers learn that some of it was contaminated with per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of synthetic chemicals that accumulate in ground and surface water, soil, crops, animals, and people — forever. 

Now farmers and ranchers across the country face contaminated soil and water, crops they cannot sell, and plummeting land values. Worse still, there is almost no federal support or guidance on what they’re supposed to do to address this crisis. 

That’s why American Farmland Trust is urging Congress and federal agencies to:

• Fund dedicated relief and support for PFAS-impacted farmers and ranchers
• Set health-based limits on PFAS in biosolids to stop new contamination
• Invest in PFAS agricultural research
• Protect farmers from liability for following government-approved practices
• Develop a multi-agency federal plan to address PFAS

Protecting the farmers who feed us starts here. Add your name to demand lasting policy change for farmers and our food system.