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The Problem

The River Wye, once a vibrant natural asset, is now suffocating under the weight of poultry pollution. In recent years, hundreds of factory farms have been approved in the region, leading to a staggering 23 million chickens being produced in the Wye’s catchment area at any given time – about a quarter of the UK’s total farmed poultry.

Natural England has downgraded the river’s status to “unfavorable, declining,” which highlights a sharp deterioration in water quality, biodiversity, and habitat condition.  The main culprit is nutrient-rich runoff from these industrial-scale chicken farms, which releases harmful levels of phosphorus into the river. This excessive nutrient load fuels toxic algal blooms, which drain oxygen from the water, suffocating aquatic plants and wildlife, and disrupting the river’s entire ecosystem.

This pollution is pushing the river to its breaking point. The Wye’s once-diverse species and habitats are rapidly disappearing, and the future of this iconic waterway hangs in the balance.

© Wye and Usk Foundation

Left (2010): healthy Ranunculus in the Wye, which serves as a vital habitat for fish and invertebrates. Right (2020): Ranunculus has been replaced by thick green algae, including blanket weed.

Our Solutions

A new plan must be enforced on a catchment-wide basis with the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales working in close cross-border collaboration.

Immediately implement a moratorium on the construction or expansion of any intensive poultry farms in the Wye catchment. No more factory farms in this critical area.

Every Intensive Poultry Unit (IPU) in the Wye Catchment must have an approved Manure Management Plan (MMP). Chicken litter must be properly processed, removed from the catchment, and sent to arable farms with phosphorus (P) deficits, replacing synthetic fertilizers.

Cut the threshold for the number of birds allowed in IPUs regulated by the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW). Currently, farms with fewer than 40,000 birds escape regulation—this must change. Over the next five years, progressively reduce the bird limits to curb unchecked pollution.

The UK and Welsh governments must provide more funding to the EA and NRW for stronger oversight. This can come from grant aid, higher license fees, or “polluter pays” fees to fund regular inspections and ensure compliance with MMPs and other environmental rules.

Any failure to comply with MMPs or other environmental regulations should lead to the immediate closure of the offending IPU until full compliance is achieved. No exceptions.

River Action takes the environment agency to court

What we have done

River Action and supporters outside Cardiff Civil Justice Centre. ©Adam Finch

In February 2024, we took the Environment Agency and DEFRA to court for failing to enforce the 2018 Farming Rules for Water along the River Wye. The court ruled that farming practices must change to comply with these rules, a significant win for the river.

We forced one of the UK’s largest poultry processors to publicly acknowledge its role in polluting the River Wye and commit to changing its supply chain. But their plan remains vague, offering no clarity on where their factory farm manure goes or how it won’t end up polluting other rivers.

In 2024, we helped fund the local ‘Friends of the River Wye’ to successfully challenge Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and win bathing water status for The Warren, a key step in protecting the river.

In 2022, we raised over £34,000 through crowdfunding to support citizen science projects across the Wye catchment, empowering local groups to monitor and protect the river.

What We Are Doing

We’re calling out Nando’s for its role in river pollution. They source chicken from Avara, the top polluter of the River Wye. We’ve mobilised campaigns with young activists, dropped banners demanding Nando’s stop killing rivers, hijacked their social media, and even got their CEO’s LinkedIn account wiped out after a storm of comments . We’ve hacked tube ads with Chris Packham and urged people to email the CEO directly. Nando’s is panicking—removing info about their supply chains and deleting posts. What are they hiding? We’re cranking up the pressure to find out.

We’re backing our legal partners, Leigh Day, in a massive class action lawsuit against the main polluters of the River Wye—Avara and Welsh Water. This case will expose how the destruction of the river is ruining the lives of those who live along its banks.

We’re backing Herefordshire County Council in its legal battle against the NFU, who are trying to block vital bylaws that would force factory farms to manage manure and stop polluting the River Wye. Our intervention will expose the NFU’s true priorities—profits over protecting our rivers—and prove they’re willing to block progress for the sake of pollution.

Protestors calling out Nando's' polluting practices. © People vs Profiteers

Take Action

If you want to see Britain’s rivers clean and thriving, there are many actions you can take to make a difference.

Rescue Your River

River Action is a small and agile campaigning organisation on a mission to rescue Britain’s rivers from a cocktail of agricultural, sewage and industrial pollution.

River Rescue Kit

Resources

FRIENDS OF THE RIVER WYE

SAVE THE WYE COALITION

BENEATH THE SURFACE: WHAT’s killing the wye

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