Soil Quality

EU Environment Directorate Publishes Indicative Guidance on Soil Sealing and No Net Land Take

On 5 May 2026 the European Commission’s Environment Directorate published non-binding indicative guidance on reducing soil sealing and supporting the EU objective of achieving no net land take by 2050, as part of its work to implement the EU Soil Strategy and the new Soil Monitoring and Resilience Law. While it creates no new legal obligations, the guidance signals Commission-supported approaches for authorities, landowners and developers to align land-use planning, permitting and project design with soil protection goals, which may influence future national implementation choices and investment strategies.

12 May 2026, 18:15op.europa.euEuropean Union

EU Commission Publishes Soil Contamination Risk Assessment Methodologies Report Under the EU Soil Strategy for 2030

The European Commission’s environment directorate has published a non-binding report mapping existing methodologies and tools for assessing risks from soil contamination as part of implementing the EU Soil Strategy for 2030. While it does not interpret or steer the new Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive, it signals how regulators may benchmark site-specific risk assessments in future, so environmental and compliance teams should monitor its influence on national implementation.

12 May 2026, 18:13op.europa.euEuropean Union

England: Environment Agency Publishes RPS 369 on Storing and Spreading Gypsum Waste to Benefit Land

In May 2026 the Environment Agency issued Regulatory Position Statement 369, defining when gypsum waste can be stored and spread on land in England with reduced enforcement risk if normal permitting and exemption rules are not fully met but strict conditions are followed. Operators handling flue gas desulphurisation and plasterboard-derived gypsum should align storage, spreading rates, setback distances and record-keeping with the new limits, and track the 2029 review in case this temporary position is tightened, withdrawn or codified into permitting law.

9 May 2026, 19:14gov.ukUnited Kingdom

Welsh Government Evidence Review On Oxo-biodegradable Plastics

In May 2026 the Welsh Government released a commissioned evidence review confirming that oxo-biodegradable plastics persist and generate microplastics under real-world conditions. This strengthens the scientific and policy basis for current and future restrictions on these materials within Wales’ circular-economy and plastics strategies.

9 May 2026, 13:22gov.walesUnited Kingdom

Taiwan: Yunlin Prosecutors Indict Construction-Waste Dumping Ring Using Licensed Soil Site as Cover

In April 2026, Yunlin prosecutors indicted 45 individuals and companies for using a licensed soil recovery site to disguise large-scale illegal dumping of construction mixed waste across farmland and hillsides in Yunlin and neighbouring Changhua, after a joint MoENV–police task force uncovered the scheme. This enforcement action under Taiwan’s Waste Disposal Act signals heightened legal and financial risk for construction, haulage and soil-treatment operators that falsify manifests, misuse authorised facilities or treat farmland as a cheap dumping ground.

8 May 2026, 07:46enews.moenv.gov.twTaiwan

Vermont Senate Agriculture Committee Advances H.942 Non-Sewage Waste Transport Bill

In May 2026, the Vermont Senate Agriculture Committee advanced House Bill H.942, which would require prior approval and reporting for transporting non-sewage waste and specified waste materials onto farms, and sent it on to the Senate Finance Committee. If enacted on the current timetable from July 2026, this could significantly change how waste haulers, digesters and farm operators manage approvals, testing and documentation for land-applied waste streams and other by-products entering Vermont agriculture.

6 May 2026, 19:50legislature.vermont.govUnited States

China NPCSC Opens Consultation on Second Draft of Cultivated Land Protection and Quality Improvement Law

China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee has opened a public consultation from 30 April to 29 May 2026 on the second draft of a new Cultivated Land Protection and Quality Improvement Law. This marks a significant step toward stricter nationwide rules on protecting arable land and improving cultivated land quality, with future implications for agricultural land use, planning, and compliance expectations for agricultural operators and supply chains.

4 May 2026, 20:05npc.gov.cnChina

European Commission Clarifies Environmental Targets and Conditionality in CAP 2028–2034 Proposals

On 29 April 2026 the European Commission clarified that its CAP 2028–2034 proposals would ring‑fence funding in national and regional partnership plans, including a minimum 43% environmental spending target, and make soil and water protection a basic condition for farmers to receive income support. If adopted, these design choices would steer future national CAP plans toward higher environmental ambition and tighter eligibility criteria for farming practices across the EU, shaping how support schemes are structured and monitored over the next programming period.

4 May 2026, 18:14europarl.europa.euEuropean Union

France Publishes PFAS Management Framework Recommendations for Fertilising Materials

France’s agriculture and environment inspectorates have issued an interministerial report recommending a national two-phase framework to manage PFAS contamination in fertilising materials, especially sewage sludge and digestates, with a transitional regime from 2026 and tighter targets out to 2035. If implemented, this would introduce rapid interim PFAS limits and parcel-level flux controls, drive new measurement and coordination on sludge and soils, and could significantly reshape sludge spreading practices, risk management and investment planning for wastewater and agricultural operators.

3 May 2026, 14:58agriculture.gouv.frFrance

Environment Agency Issues MCERTS Standard For Rapid Soil Chemical Testing In England

The Environment Agency has published a new MCERTS performance standard for rapid soil chemical testing techniques in England, dated 27 April 2026. Manufacturers and test laboratories using rapid soil measurement equipment should assess whether their methods and QA processes align with the new criteria, as regulators and clients may increasingly expect compliance with this benchmark when relying on rapid soil data.

30 Apr 2026, 15:45gov.ukUnited Kingdom

Denmark: Danish EPA Publishes Advisory Limit for Asbestos in Soil

In April 2026, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency published non-binding guidance setting an advisory limit of 100 mg asbestos per kilogram of dry soil, defined as chrysotile plus ten times amphibole fibres, for assessing asbestos in soil. This benchmark will guide municipalities and consultants in deciding when asbestos-contaminated soil can be reused or left in place versus when further investigation and remediation planning are needed, shaping long-term management of legacy asbestos risks in Denmark.

30 Apr 2026, 10:48mst.dkDenmark

South Carolina Introduces Bill H5572 to Develop PFAS Water and Soil Guidelines

In April 2026, South Carolina lawmakers introduced joint resolution H5572 directing the Department of Environmental Services, in collaboration with the US Environmental Protection Agency, to develop comprehensive, science-based PFAS guidelines for drinking water, surface water, groundwater, and soil statewide. If adopted, this measure will set the technical foundation for future enforceable PFAS thresholds in South Carolina, reshaping risk management, monitoring, and potential cleanup expectations for water utilities, industrial operators, and owners of contaminated land.

29 Apr 2026, 18:07scstatehouse.govUnited States

German Environment Agency Publishes Study On Mixture Effects In Soil Risk Assessment

Germany’s environment agency has released a 2026 research report proposing methods to factor combined pollutant effects into contaminated-soil risk assessments. This non-binding study strengthens the scientific basis for future soil standards and remediation decisions where multiple agrochemicals and persistent pollutants co-occur.

28 Apr 2026, 19:43umweltbundesamt.deGermany

Netherlands – KWR Trendalert on Liming and Stone Meal Near Drinking Water Abstractions

A 2026 KWR Trendalert for Dutch water utilities assesses how liming and stone meal near drinking-water abstractions could mitigate severe soil acidification and aluminium-related risks to groundwater quality and well performance in forested catchments. It frames these measures as promising but legally and technically uncertain, signalling the need for clearer rules, product specifications, and nitrogen-deposition reductions when planning nature restoration or reuse of treatment residues in water-protection areas.

28 Apr 2026, 18:27api2.kwrwater.nlNetherlands

Netherlands Opens Consultation on Draft BRL 9324 for Groevesteen in Unbound Applications

The Netherlands has opened a consultation on draft BRL 9324, updating the certification guideline for groevesteen (quarry stone) used as an unbound construction material to align with the 2022 Soil Quality Regulation and related soil legislation. The revised BRL clarifies environmental testing, monitoring, and quality-assurance requirements for producers seeking NL-BSB product certificates, signalling future adjustments to certification and compliance processes once the guideline is adopted.

28 Apr 2026, 18:18kiwa.comNetherlands

ARS Île-de-France Advises Residents in Part of Bagneaux-sur-Loing Not to Consume Garden-Grown Produce Due to Arsenic and Lead

In April 2026, the Île-de-France regional health agency advised residents within a defined perimeter in Bagneaux-sur-Loing not to consume in-ground garden fruit and vegetables after soil monitoring found elevated levels of arsenic and lead. This local contamination alert underscores the need for ongoing soil management and health surveillance around legacy industrial sites and may foreshadow similar precautionary actions in other affected communities.

28 Apr 2026, 17:46iledefrance.ars.sante.frFrance

Netherlands Develops National Programme for Soil, Subsurface and Groundwater (BOG)

The Netherlands is building a new National Programme for Soil, Subsurface and Groundwater (BOG) to steer land-use and water decisions, with a draft policy programme and strategic environmental assessment expected by the end of 2026. This programme will set direction for how authorities and projects manage soil, subsurface and groundwater risks, so compliance and planning teams should track it as an early signal for future environmental and spatial-planning obligations.

28 Apr 2026, 17:43iplo.nlNetherlands

Illinois Senate Passes PFAS Wastewater Monitoring Bill SB3917

Illinois has advanced Senate Bill 3917, a PFAS wastewater monitoring bill amending the Environmental Protection Act, with the Senate unanimously passing it and the measure now before the House Energy & Environment Committee. If enacted, major wastewater utilities and industrial dischargers in Illinois would face mandatory PFAS sampling in NPDES permits and biosolids, tightening monitoring obligations and informing future PFAS discharge limits and remediation decisions.

28 Apr 2026, 15:07ilga.govUnited States

Community of Madrid Implements Action Programme for Nitrate‑Vulnerable Zones

In March 2026 the Community of Madrid brought into force a new action programme for nitrate-vulnerable zones that tightens fertiliser and manure management rules for farms and manure handlers in six designated areas. This creates immediate compliance obligations on nutrient planning, storage capacity and application limits, heightening regulatory scrutiny of nitrate pollution and water quality risks for agricultural operators in the region.

28 Apr 2026, 11:48bocm.esSpain

New Hampshire Senate Committee Advances HB 1275 On PFAS Impacts To Agriculture

New Hampshire’s HB 1275, which grants PFAS-related civil immunity to farmers and mandates PFAS biosolids standards, has cleared a key Senate committee step following an April 2026 hearing. If enacted, the bill would tighten PFAS controls on land-applied biosolids by 2028 and shift agricultural PFAS risk management toward stricter testing, sludge management decisions, and infrastructure planning.

28 Apr 2026, 11:48gc.nh.govUnited States