Campaigners are taking the government to court, accusing it of failing to stop chicken manure from polluting the River Wye.
River Action, a charity, has brought the case, claiming that laws designed to keep waterways healthy have not been enforced.
The River Wye had its status downgraded to “unfavourable” last year, with some attributing this to the rapid expansion of chicken farming in the catchment area.
The Environment Agency has stated that anyone breaking the law could be prosecuted. However, River Action alleges that the Environment Agency ignored regulations known as the Farming Rules for Water, allowing farmers to apply excessive amounts of manure to fields, thereby contaminating the River Wye and its tributaries.
The Wye, which is home to otters, kingfishers, and the endangered Atlantic Salmon, flows along the English-Welsh border.
The case is being heard in Cardiff, and at its core are the regulations that farmers must abide by, as outlined in the Farming Rules for Water. These rules state that farmers must ensure that fertiliser does not get into watercourses and should not put more on fields than is needed.
While the Environment Agency has declined to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings, it has stated that anyone caught breaching environmental laws faces enforcement action, including prosecution. Surprisingly, there have been no prosecutions in the Wye catchment for applying excessive amounts of fertiliser to fields.
The expansion of chicken farming in the Wye has seen an increase to over 20 million chickens being raised in the catchment area at any one time – around a quarter of the UK’s total production. Chicken manure contains high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, making it a good fertiliser for crops. However, when these nutrients reach waterways, they can result in excessive growth of algae, thereby starving the river of oxygen.
Some farmers have been spreading chicken manure on fields as fertiliser, leading to contamination when the nutrients are washed into rivers and streams during heavy rainfall. Technical solutions to this issue exist, but they come at a cost. For example, Whittern Farms has invested in equipment to prevent pollution from manure. They have also installed £3m biomass boilers to deal with the over 200 tonnes of chicken manure they produce every six weeks.
The National Farmers Union will submit evidence at the court hearing, emphasizing the importance of correct and proportionate application of laws. They argue that farmers and growers are concerned about water quality in rivers and are working hard to prevent valuable nutrients and soil from contributing to water pollution.
The increase in chicken farming in the catchment area has led to concerns over river pollution, and the court case seeks to address the failure to enforce regulations that could have prevented the contamination of the River Wye and its tributaries.
