ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners are calling on one of the UK’s largest egg producers to urgently address the degradation caused to the River Wye by intensive poultry farming.

River Action is campaigning for protection of the River Wye, 60% of which is in ecological crisis according to Natural Resources Wales.

The group has written to Noble Foods to take immediate action to address the significant environmental degradation caused to the Wye by the intensive poultry industry in the area.

And their letter has the support of environmental experts and campaigners, including former Environment Minister Lord Benyon, Feargal Sharkey and George Monbiot.

A recent study by Natural Resources Wales shows that the section from Walford Brook to Bigsweir Bridge is failing to meet environmental standards due to high levels of phosphates in the water.

These high levels of phosphates in local rivers are believed to be due to run-off from farming and sewage treatment works.

River Action have previously called on Noble Foods, who are the largest egg producer in the Wye region, to answer critical questions regarding the damaging effect of this production on the river’s ecological health.

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Company chief executive Duncan Everett said Noble Foods is working on "site visits gaining a greater insight and understanding of the issues faced on farms dealing with soil health, nutrient, and water management".

They are also now working in close partnership with the Wye & Usk Foundation to consider how it addresses the major issue of nutrient run-off.

However, campaigners have major concerns as to why these basic environmental assessments are only starting to take place now and why these critical actions had not taken place before the construction of the intensive poultry units.

River Action is calling on Noble Foods to provide a time commitment of when site visits will be completed and publish a summary of findings and details of the plan to address the issue of nutrient run-off.

They also want them to commit to a nutrient mitigation plan and invest in measures to tackle nutrient run-off.

River Action also want the company to publish an environmental code of standards that third-party producers must adhere to in order to be contracted as a Noble Foods supplier and a credible environmental policy statement on their website.

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River Action chairman Charles Watson said: “While we appreciate the response from Noble Foods outlining its plans to address the major issue of nutrient run-off, it is surprising and concerning that a large producer such as Noble Foods doesn’t already have data on critical issues like nutrient and water management across its supply chain and raises the question of whether Noble Foods is operating without sufficient nutrient and water management systems currently in place.

“This basic monitoring work and mitigation plans should have been in place from the start of Noble’s work with the farms.

“Given the well documented ecological crisis facing the river Wye catchment, it is imperative that these systems are immediately implemented in current farms and from the outset in new farms.”

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River Action Advisory Board member Richard Benyon said: “In his letter, Duncan Everett implies there is a collective responsibility to protect the environment.

“While of course this is true, large businesses who have made huge financial gains from the destruction of the environment have a responsibility to clean up their mess and lead the industry and others in doing so.

“As this is the second letter River Action has now sent to Noble Foods, we hope to see some tangible actions put in place that are shared publicly as this is a matter of huge public interest in the Wye catchment and nationally.”

A spokesperson for Noble Foods thanked the campaigners for raising the issue.

The company says that protecting the environment is extremely important to them and groups such as River Action have a pivotal role to play in guiding and supporting the farming industry.

“Protection of the environment is an agricultural imperative and isn’t just limited to poultry farms.

“This is why we’re working in close partnership with the Wye & Usk Foundation (WUF) to provide support and education for all famers in the Upper Wye catchment in Wales.

“This project is part of the Courtauld Commitment 2025, which involves all the major retailers and food producers such as ourselves, who are working to support delivery of “collective action” to protect water throughout their supply chains.

“Projects in isolation simply will not drive actionable change – we believe that working as a united front will be key to long term success.

“We are working closely with the WUF to identify farming challenges and then working as a collective to create solutions that can be used by the entire farming community, not just our poultry producers.

“The WUF works positively with farmers, highlighting good practice in addition to helping them to understand any risks there may be to water quality.”

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Noble Foods say they have started work on site visits to gain a greater insight and understanding of the issues faced on farms dealing with, soil health, nutrient, and water management.

They are also assessing contract producer farms in the catchment to get an understanding of current operations.

And Noble Foods will be working with the Rivers Foundation to develop mitigation techniques and controls that can be shared across both our farming base and the wider farming community pnce the evaluations are complete.

The company will also investigate specific areas to improve nutrient management such as, tree planting, reed beds and catchment areas, manure handling, range and water management.

“We recognise that it is going to be vitally important to have working partnerships with organisations and businesses operating in the area to share knowledge and assist in finding solutions to what is a wide and complex issue,” the spokesperson added.

“We are just about to commence work with one of the UK’s leading retailers to set up a specific indicator farm just south of Ross on Wye.

“This is part of a wider joint project working with the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group that will be looking at sustainable agriculture as a whole.

“This farm is also within the Wye catchment so the learnings from this will be incredibly useful to the overall agricultural strategy that is developed for areas across the country that could be classed as higher risk.

“We believe that sustainable success will only come if we work collaboratively towards our goal of protecting the environment.

“We welcome information on any projects that River Action will be undertaking, and we commit to sharing information that will help the farming community around the River Wye deliver sustainable solutions.”