MPs call for fresh action on Wye pollution

Herefordshire's two MPs have urged the government to invest millions of pounds into tackling agricultural pollution along the River Wye.

It comes after the Labour government said it would not continue with a £35m action plan for the river, launched by the previous Conservative government.

The plan faced criticism from environmental groups for falling "far short" of what was needed, and for applying primarily to England, not Wales.

In response, water minister Emma Hardy MP said it would produce a new plan for the Wye, which would involve the Welsh government.

The health of the Wye and its tributaries, as well as the neighbouring River Usk in Wales, was raised in a parliamentary debate on water quality on Wednesday.

It was requested by the Labour MP for Monmouthshire, Catherine Fookes, to highlight the issue of agricultural pollution.

"Recovery will take decades," said Fookes, adding that high levels of phosphate pollution had fed algal blooms that starved fish, plants and invertebrates of oxygen.

The Wye is classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and is home to protected species such as otters, kingfishers, white-clawed crayfish and the Atlantic Salmon.

The status of the river was downgraded in 2023 to "unfavourable - declining" by Natural England.

Last April, the previous Conservative government announced its £35m action plan.

It included a proposal to give money to farmers to change the way chicken manure was disposed of so that it did not run off into watercourses.

But the present Labour government said it would not continue with the plan, which Fookes said had been "roundly discounted" by environmental groups.

Water minister Hardy said the new plan needed to include the Welsh government.

"If you're going to have a plan to tackle the river, you at least need to include where it starts and ends," she said.

Both of Herefordshire's MPs questioned whether Labour would still invest money into tackling pollution in the Wye catchment.

Hereford and South Herefordshire's Conservative MP Jesse Norman asked if the £35m committed by the previous government would be preserved, "or at least something close to it".

North Herefordshire's Green MP, Ellie Chowns, called on the money to be redistributed into "nature-friendly farming" in the area.

She asked the minister whether she agreed that the previous action plan had amounted to being "essentially a subsidy for the most polluting industry".

While Hardy made no funding commitment, she said government would produce a new plan for the Wye.

"I will let honourable members know as soon as possible," she said.

In a statement, Defra said it was "committed to cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas" and would continue to work with the Welsh government and others to assess the best way forward.

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