State Governments shutdown farms "They promised us it was good for the soil..."
Opinion: PFAS Are a Problem—But Shutting Down Farmland Isn’t the Solution
PFAS chemicals—often dubbed “forever chemicals”—have become the latest environmental bogeyman. From Maine to South Carolina, these synthetic compounds are sparking alarm, drawing headlines, and now, triggering government action that could reshape the agricultural landscape in ways we can’t afford.
Let’s be clear: PFAS are real. Their health risks are credible. Their persistence in our environment is well documented. But using PFAS contamination as an excuse to shut down productive farmland and declare it off-limits is not a responsible or sustainable solution. It's a knee-jerk reaction with devastating consequences—especially when the contamination stems from state-sanctioned practices.
If we continue down this path, we're not just fighting pollution—we're inviting a catastrophic collapse of our food system.
From Partner to Prosecutor: The Government’s Role in the PFAS Problem
Consider the case of Maine, where the state encouraged farmers to apply biosolids—treated sewage sludge—to their land as a “green” fertilizer. It was billed as a win-win: sustainable waste management for the state, free nutrients for the farmers. What no one told these farmers was that those same biosolids were laced with PFAS compounds.
Then, in 2022, the state reversed course. With contamination thresholds as low as 20 parts per trillion—equivalent to a drop in an Olympic-sized swimming pool—Maine suddenly deemed over 50 farms unfit for production and offered to buy back the land under a $31 million “relief” fund. As of today, that list has grown (Maine Farmland Trust).
What’s worse, the state used its own sludge distribution database to identify and target the very farms it once encouraged to use the sludge.
This is not justice. This is betrayal.
And Maine isn't alone.
South Carolina’s Looming Superfund Disaster
In South Carolina, 10,000 acres of farmland are being reviewed as a potential Superfund site—one of the most severe federal environmental designations—due to PFAS sludge that was distributed by the now-defunct Galey & Lord textile mill.
According to EPA records, from 1993 to 2013, the mill shipped over 45,000 dry tons of sludge to more than 300 fields, an average of 2.7 tons per acre (EPA Superfund Records). That sludge was pitched to farmers as beneficial. It was free. It was delivered directly to them. It was the government’s idea.
Now, those same farmers are being told their land is toxic—and possibly worthless.
Where is the accountability? And more importantly: where is the common sense?
PFAS Are Everywhere. Do We Shut Everything Down?
Here’s the hard truth: PFAS are in nearly everything.
Your non-stick cookware (Teflon)
Waterproof clothing
Food packaging
Even dental floss
If 4 parts per trillion is the threshold, as recently proposed by the EPA (EPA PFAS Regulation Overview), then the entire nation’s soil could soon be deemed “contaminated.” This isn’t a targeted cleanup. It’s a ticking time bomb of regulatory overreach.
Shutting down farms over PFAS is like shutting down an entire town because a few shingles contain asbestos. Yes, it’s a hazard—but context, scale, and risk mitigation matter.
Revitalization, Not Retreat
The solution isn’t to abandon farmland—it’s to restore it.
Stop the source: Ban PFAS chemicals in non-essential consumer products. Europe is already moving this way (European Chemicals Agency).
Remediate strategically: Invest in soil recovery technologies—such as activated carbon treatments or bioremediation methods—that target PFAS without destroying livelihoods.
Support the victims, not punish them: Compensate farmers for damages, yes—but don’t force them out of business or off their land.
Avoid hypocrisy: Don’t encourage the use of sludge and then prosecute the people who trusted the government’s guidance.
Farmers didn’t create this crisis. They followed advice. They accepted sludge under government programs. And now they’re paying the price—not just in dollars, but in lost heritage, food security, and trust.
The Real Risk: Starving Ourselves in the Name of Safety
We can’t ignore that agriculture is already under siege: from climate change, to urban sprawl, to foreign land acquisitions, and now environmental overregulation. PFAS-related farm shutdowns threaten to become one of the largest land grabs in modern history—under the guise of public safety.
And what happens when we reduce our domestic food supply? We become more dependent on imports. More vulnerable to global shocks. Less capable of feeding ourselves.
Is this what we want?
The Way Forward
Let’s not allow PFAS to become a tool for bureaucratic land confiscation. Let’s not punish the very people who feed us. Let’s confront this environmental issue with the wisdom it demands—not with fear, nor with scapegoating.
Let’s choose science, remediation, and support over abandonment, litigation, and despair.
If we allow farmland to fall under bureaucratic siege every time a chemical is discovered in the soil, the only thing we’ll harvest in the future is regret. The time to defend our farms—our food, and our freedom—is now.