Guardian: River pollution leads to Welsh demand for halt to intensive chicken farms

‘Pea soup’ algal blooms in River Wye cited as example of damage to habitats as coalition calls for moratorium on planning permission.

As rivers in Wales deteriorate and fill with pollution, a coalition of groups has called for a moratorium on planning approval for new intensive poultry units in Powys.

The demand follows similar moves in other parts in the world, particularly the US, which has seen a growing number of calls for moratoriums on intensive farming systems.

In Wales, phosphate, nitrogen and ammonia pollution are causing serious damage to sensitive habitats, rivers and air, according to a statement from Wales Environmental Link (Wel), a network of 30 environmental and countryside organisations. “Intensive livestock rearing and inefficient storage and spreading of manures, slurries, digestate and other fertilisers are the main causes of this pollution,” the statement reads.

While “point source pollution” from large intensive chicken and pig units is regulated, says Wel, diffuse pollution, which occurs when pollutants disperse into air and waterways, is not monitored. It is the rivers that are suffering in particular, Wel says, with the River Wye “rapidly reaching the point where wildlife that relies on the Wye ecosystem may be permanently affected”.

“This summer saw algal blooms in the Wye which made it resemble a ‘pea soup’,” said James Byrne from Wildlife Trusts Wales. “The most likely cause of this is manure from livestock units which is spread onto land and then runs into rivers triggering eutrophication. This removes oxygen from the river, which then affects the entire river ecosystem, aquatic insects and everything that feeds on them including birds, water shrews and fish and otters.

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