UK Poultry producer, Avara Foods, has pledged to bring its pollution of the River Wye to zero by 2025 as concerns rise for the river’s health.
What is happening to the River Wye?
The River Wye is located on the west side of England and travels partially into Wales. Over the past decade, scientists and environmental activists have been calling for action to save the water quality of the river which has been in a steady decline due to phosphate runoff from nearby poultry farms.
“The Wye looks like French onion or pea soup at times. The amount of phosphate from agriculture that is pouring into the Wye has increased enormously over the past few years,” Simon Evans of the Wye and Usk Foundation told the Observer.
“We are getting double the amounts they were getting only a few years ago, and it is free-range poultry farms that are the main problem.”
Why are Avara Foods and other poultry farms the problem?
The Wye has algal blooms that reduce the oxygen content of the river and kill plants and aquatic life. Adding phosphate can exacerbate the problem by making the algal blooms larger.
Phosphorous is a key ingredient in poultry feed which makes its way into poultry waste that runs off into the river.
120 of Avara Foods farms are located in Herefordshire along the River Wye, and they produce approximately 160,000 tons of manure each year.
What does Avara Foods plan to do?
Avara Foods has already made some progress by reducing the phosphate content in its feed by 27% and plans to continue with initiatives like manure management and containment.
“Everyone that plays a part in the river’s current condition must also play their part reversing it,” according to a company statement.
