Farming News - River Action response to The Wildlife Trusts report on pig and poultry farming

River Action response to The Wildlife Trusts report on pig and poultry farming

River Action welcomes today’s important report from The Wildlife Trusts, which shines a much-needed spotlight on the devastating and cumulative environmental impacts of the UK’s intensive pig and poultry sector.

 

CEO of River Action James Wallace said, “We welcome this important report from The Wildlife Trusts. It brings more damning evidence to reinforce the campaigning of communities on the Rivers Wye, Severn and Kennet, providing valuable material that could support the transition to river-friendly farming.

“The Government must listen to this evidence and act now by offering farmer’s carrots – incentives such as slurry grants and payments for river buffer schemes – and where necessary, sticks. 

“The Farming Rules for Water has yet to be used to disincentivise factory farm pollution. It is not an option for the Government to enforce the law. Farmers must not only be given advice and funding – they must be helped to comply with environmental laws.  Nutrients from intensive farming practices are overwhelming our freshwater ecosystems and pushing them beyond breaking point. Our rivers cannot continue to suffer while regulations are treated as optional.”

 

River Action’s landmark legal victory

River Action has already taken significant legal steps to challenge factory farm pollution. In March, in a major win for River Action, the High Court ruled that chicken manure can be classified as ‘waste’ allowing councils to regulate its disposal, setting a precedent for farms nationwide.

In June, we won a landmark legal victory in the High Court against Shropshire Council, overturning the approval of a 200,000-bird intensive poultry unit near Shrewsbury in the River Severn catchment. The judgment sets a national precedent and marks a turning point in the fight against pollution from factory farming in the UK.

This builds on our earlier legal challenge on the River Wye, and a community led, River Action supported, successful intervention in Berkshire where we helped defeat an application for a 32,000-chicken farm near the River Kennet.

 

In parallel, River Action has also been driving progress at a regulatory level. Following our High Court case against the Environment Agency over its failures to enforce the Farming Rules for Water, DEFRA has now issued strengthened guidance clarifying that manure must only be applied when it meets crop or soil need at the time of application. 

This crucial clarification, issued in July 2025 after our sustained legal pressure, closes a damaging loophole that had allowed widespread autumn manure spreading and will help reduce diffuse agricultural pollution across England’s rivers.

Taken together, these legal battles underscore a simple truth: without urgent action to rein in the industrial farming model, our rivers and the wildlife that depend on them will continue to pay the price.

Essential reading

River Action in the Guardian: At last, a victory for rivers over megafarms: now councils can’t treat toxic waste as someone else’s problem

River Action in The Planner: Three rulings that mark a new era for intensive livestock developments