Campaign group River Action say the Environment Agency did not enforce rules to stop fertilisers and chicken manure getting in river.
The health of the River Wye was in 2023 updated to "unfavourable declining" because of a deterioration in key wildlifeCampaigners are taking the government to court, accusing it of not stopping chicken manure polluting the River Wye.
"We believe that the government and the Environment Agency have acted unlawfully by deliberately not enforcing the critical regulation that, had it been in force, would have prevented the contamination of the Wye catchment area," Charles Watson, the chairman of River Action, told the BBC. River Action say the Environment Agency, which has responsibility for England, deliberately ignored the rules under pressure from farmers. River Action says this allowed the farmers to apply excessive amounts of manure to fields, creating nutrient rich run-off that found its way into the River Wye and its tributaries.
There are many different sources of pollution that have contributed to the decline of the Wye. Studies by Lancaster University have shown that 70% of the phosphate in the River Wye catchment comes from agriculture, but not all of that is chicken-related. With chicken sheds producing huge amounts of manure, some farmers have been spreading it on fields as fertiliser. But if the ground cannot absorb it and it rains heavily, the nutrients can be washed into rivers and streams.Whittern Farms' James Wright talks to BBC environment correspondent Jonah Fisher in front of a mound of chicken manure
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Warnings over ultra-right wing activists infiltrating campaign groupsWarnings have been issued over “Trojan Horse” ultra-right wing activists accused of trying to infiltrate campaign groups. Simon Crane – Scotland regional organiser for the extremist Homeland Party – set up a pressure group to demand funding for a new GP surgery for a village in West Lothian.
Read more »
Biden administration plans bombing campaign on Iranian assets in the Middle EastThe Biden administration is reportedly planning a bombing campaign on Iranian assets across the Middle East as retaliation for a drone attack that killed three American soldiers. The attacks will focus on 'Iranian targets' in Syria and Iraq and may extend to the Iranian navy and personnel in the region. While no culprit has been definitively named, US officials claim the drone used in the attack was manufactured in Iran.
Read more »
Body found in river search for missing Telford man, 36A body has been found in the search for a missing Telford man who was last seen in December.
Read more »
Government urges parents to send anxious children to schoolThe government is encouraging parents to send their children to school even if they are worried or anxious. A mother expresses her frustration as her son with severe OCD has not attended school for nearly a year. She criticizes the campaign and suggests that the money could have been used for better support for children.
Read more »
Mother slams Scottish Government over lack of mental health support for bullied daughterThe mum of a teenage girl left suicidal after a brutal school bus attack has slammed the Scottish Government after her pleas for better mental health support "fell on deaf ears". Calls for action were made in December after devastating figures revealed that more than 5,300 Scottish children and young people were on waiting lists for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
Read more »