Press release: Egg industry under pressure from new environmental campaign group to clean up rivers

New environmental campaigning group, River Action, launches today to push major agricultural producers to reduce their adverse environmental impact on the UK’s rivers. The group plans to apply direct pressure on major agricultural suppliers and producers to take responsibility for the environmental impact of their supply chains. The group is chaired by Charles Watson and has recruited an advisory board of environmental experts and campaigners, including former Environment Minister Lord Benyon, Ben Goldsmith, George Monbiot and Feargal Sharkey.

River Action’s initial focus is the egg production industry in the River Wye catchment. In recent years, the river has experienced a decline in ecological and chemical health and there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that a significant cause for this deterioration is nutrient-rich run off of chicken excrement from an increasing number of poultry farms around the headwaters of the Wye.

In its first intervention, the group has written directly to the CEO of the UK’s largest egg producer Noble Foods to request answers to a number of critical questions.

Read the full press release here.