Petition calls for a ban on opening chicken farms amid pollution claim
More than 75,000 people have signed a petition calling for a halt to more chicken farms in a county – blaming the animal’s waste for river pollution.
Anglers formally complained to Natural Resources Wales (NRW) about pollution in a stretch of the River Wye in Powys.
They accused NRW of ignoring algal blooms they say are caused by phosphates in chicken excrement.
NRW is reviewing the cause of increased algal blooms and said it would inform a plan “to improve river health”.
A petition with more than 75,000 signatures is calling for a pause on chicken farm applications in Powys, where the council has approved 75 farms since 2017.
Kate Bull, 60, of Gladestry, started the petition after noticing parts of the Wye had turned green.
She wants planning permission for farms halted so research into phosphate levels can be done.
“The Wye is the heart of our county and we will not see it ruined and the life bled out of it,” she said.
Chicken farmers said the petition was misleading and they managed bird waste well.
Egg producer Gwyn Price, who sits on National Farmers’ Union Cymru’s Brecon and Radnorshire livestock committee, said claims effluent was “flowing” into rivers were “totally untrue”.
“Algae blooms were there long before any large hen houses were built,” Mr Price said.
He said NRW monitors the river “roughly every six weeks” and had told farmers phosphate levels had dropped.
James Evans, Powys council’s public protection member, said it was up to the Welsh Government to put a moratorium on chicken farms, adding that farmers were doing their utmost to protect the river and said some were now “almost too frightened to put any diversification projects forward”.
The Welsh Government said it could not consider a moratorium until NRW completes a water quality review while Powys council said it must determine planning applications as set out in law.
