We need to stop making excuses for factory farming.
If we don’t change this trend, which means farming less and eating less chickens. The River Wye could die within the next few years and we could see other rivers suffer the same fate.
That’s why our petition is calling for a UK-wide ban on new intensive poultry farming facilities and government support to end this harmful industry, along with efforts to encourage farmers to change their diets.
wildlife
Chicken production in Wye is concentrated in the hands of a single company, Avara, part-owned by global giant Cargill.
So it’s not the farmers who hold the strongest cards, but the processors next to the retailers who buy the products.
These businesses need to be controlled by the government and farmers need viable alternatives.
This means that supply chains pay fair prices for high-welfare production and that retailers and governments incentivize nature-friendly practices.
Chicken was once a rare luxury on British tables and is now an everyday necessity, with people paying half the price they did in the 70s. The prices are artificially low. We are paying the price through damage to our rivers and wildlife.
destruction
Despite increased consumer demand, agribusinesses investing in intensive soybean crops have been seeking markets for these commodity crops.
Industrial chicken breeds that grow so quickly that soybeans are the most cost-effective feed served this market.
There is a symbiotic relationship between pesticide companies, feed traders and the factory farming sector.
Soy production is also causing deforestation and pesticide poisoning in precious Latin American ecosystems such as the Amazon and Cerrado.
Now is the time for change. The secret is out. Our poll found that 75% of people would eat less chicken if Britain’s rivers were cleaner and environmental destruction was reduced overseas. And more than 30,000 people have signed a petition calling for a new IPU ban.
huge
It is impossible to continuously manage the number of chickens and the waste they produce.
Avara and the government have announced plans to mitigate damage to the River Wye by transporting waste out of the reservoir, but this puts other rivers at risk.
We are delighted that Defra’s new River Wye Action Plan acknowledges the devastating impact that intensive farming and the poultry industry is having on the Wye.
However, it deals with symptoms rather than causes and does not look at the whole picture for the UK.
We need a coordinated approach between national governments to tackle the threat to the health of the many rivers across the UK where chicken is produced on a large scale.
strong
We don’t have time for bad solutions that just put a Band-Aid on and kick the can down the road.
action: Sign the petition now!
We must act now, for the sake of farmers who need resilient, sustainable businesses, and for all the wildlife that depends on our rivers, such as otters, kingfishers and dragonflies.
We need to stop and start reversing the damage that has been done. Otherwise, there is a risk of creating more dead zones in the river.
This means an immediate ban on new intensive poultry farming facilities across the UK.
This author
Cathy Cliff is a campaign advisor for the Soil Association charity. She has written reports on sustainable and healthy diets, focusing particularly on the impacts of intensive poultry farming and ultra-processed diets.
