We have to stop making excuses for factory farming.
If we don’t change this trend – if we raise and eat fewer chickens – the River Wye could die within a few years, and other rivers will suffer the same fate.
That’s why our petition calls for a ban on new intensive poultry farms across the UK, and calls for government support for farmers to exit this harmful industry, alongside efforts to encourage dietary change. That’s what I’m doing.
wild animals
Chicken production on the River Wye is concentrated in the hands of a single company, Avala, which is partly owned by the giant global company Cargill.
So farmers don’t hold the most powerful cards; it’s the processors, along with the retailers, who buy the products.
These businesses need to be reined in by the government and farmers need viable alternatives.
This means supply chains pay a fair price for high-welfare production, and retailers and governments encourage nature-friendly practices.
Chicken, once a rare luxury on the British diet, is now an everyday necessity because it costs half the amount people paid in the 70s. It’s artificially cheap. We pay the price through damage to our rivers and wildlife.
destruction
Despite growing consumer demand, agribusiness companies investing in intensive soybean crops are seeking markets for these cash crops.
Because industrial chicken breeds grow so quickly, soybeans have become the most cost-effective feed to feed this market.
There is a symbiotic relationship between agrochemical companies, feed suppliers, and the factory-farmed livestock sector.
Soy production also causes deforestation and pesticide poisoning in precious Latin American ecosystems such as the Amazon and Cerrado.
It’s time for a change, the secret is revealed. Our poll shows that 75% of people would be willing to eat less chicken if it meant cleaner rivers in the UK and less environmental damage overseas. And more than 30,000 people have signed a petition calling for a ban on new IPUs.
mammoth
It is simply impossible to sustainably manage huge numbers of chickens and the manure they produce.
River Avara and the government have announced plans to reduce damage to the River Wye by moving waste out of the catchment, which would put other rivers at risk.
We are delighted that Defra’s new River Wye Action Plan recognizes that intensive farming and the poultry industry have a devastating impact on the River Wye.
But that only addresses the symptoms, not the causes, and does not consider the whole picture for the UK.
We need a co-ordinated approach between governments to tackle the issue that puts the health of multiple rivers across the UK, where chicken is produced on a huge scale, at risk.
intensive
There is no time to put a Band-Aid on or take wrong solutions that will cause problems in the future.
action: Sign the petition now!
For the sake of farmers who need resilient and sustainable businesses, and for all the wildlife that depends on our rivers, including otters, kingfishers and dragonflies, we must act now.
We must stop this and begin repairing the damage that has been caused. Otherwise, you risk creating more dead zones in the river.
This means an immediate ban on new intensive poultry farms across the UK.
this author
Kathy Cliff is a campaign advisor for the charity Soil Association. She writes reports on sustainable and healthy eating, with a particular focus on the effects of intensive poultry farming and ultra-processed diets.
