River Wye pollution: Campaigners call on poultry firms to act

Activists have called on two major poultry suppliers to take action to protect the River Wye from pollution.

The river, which flows through Wales, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, has excessive algae growth often caused by high phosphate levels in the water.

River Action and other campaign groups link this to run off from major intensive poultry farms Noble Foods and Avara Foods, in the catchment area.

Both firms said protecting the environment is extremely important.

Millions of chickens are being reared in farms in Herefordshire and Powys by the firms which supply supermarket chain Tesco with poultry and egg products.

The phosphorous in chicken excrement, which River Action says "run directly into watercourses", creates ideal conditions for algae to grow, turning the river green and making it hard for other wildlife to thrive.

A spokesperson for Avara Foods said it was conscious of the "adverse effect" of muck spreading and that it carefully monitors its partners' use of chicken waste as fertiliser.

It added that broiler rearing has little direct impact on rivers as there is no run off from operations and said focusing on one aspect of agricultural practice is misleading.

The company also said it was working closely with local authorities and conducting its own scientific investigations to evaluate how it can reduce its environmental impact.

A study last year by Natural Resources Wales found more than half the River Wye failed to meet pollution targets.

It said while poultry farms had an impact, it had been unable to find a "direct connection" between them and the pollution, with other likely sources including mains sewerage and septic tanks, misconnections and agricultural practices.

In letters to Noble Foods, River Action accused the firm of "deafening silence" regarding its plans to tackle pollution which it branded an "unfolding ecological disaster".

Noble Foods told the BBC it takes its environmental responsibilities "very seriously" and it was working with experts "to ensure the widest positive impact".

River Action have asked the Happy Egg brand, as well as Avara Foods, to respond with details of their plans to mitigate the pollution. The group also wrote to Tesco to ask what environmental standards it expects of its suppliers.

Tesco confirmed it had received the letter and it took the points raised "very seriously" and would be "considering them in detail alongside our suppliers".

River Action is not the only group to have raised concerns about pollution in the area. The River Wye Preservation Trust and Angling groups have also been calling for action, as well as 75,000 people who signed a petition.

Wild swimmer Angela Jones also took part in a striking demonstration by swimming with her coffin down the Wye to highlight the issue of pollutants.

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