Our rivers are dying – and factory chicken farming is fuelling the crisis. Millions of birds are crammed into industrial units near our rivers producing huge volumes of polluting chicken manure. Spread as fertiliser on nearby fields, the phosphate in the manure can leech into rivers, causing algal blooms which starve the river of oxygen, killing precious habitats for wildlife like otters and kingfishers. The situation is dire: the Environment Agency reports ‘unacceptable levels’ of phosphate in over half of English rivers.
Join us in sending a message to UK Governments – sign our petition calling for:
- A ban on new intensive chicken units
- Support for farmers to exit this damaging industry
- Action to reduce chicken consumption to more sustainable levels
Help save a river near you
The River Wye on the Wales/England border is now very close to complete ecological collapse, with damaging pollution from industrial chicken farming as a dominant threat. But the Wye is not the only river in danger. Other rivers around the UK, from Shropshire and Powys to Norfolk and Yorkshire, are at serious risk from an increase in intensive poultry units. These vast polluting sheds, operated under contract to companies like Avara Foods, can house 40,000 or more chickens in overcrowded conditions.
Let’s move to nature-friendly farming
There is a better way to farm that respects nature and wildlife. By enabling farmers to adopt more sustainable methods of farming that work with nature, we can protect our rivers and the rich variety of wildlife that depends on them. We can help farmers move away from the intensive poultry industry that’s controlled by global food corporations and supermarkets, so they can raise higher welfare chickens in a more natural, humane environment.
