Leading Wye poultry firm commits to cut phosphate pollution

Avara Foods, the largest poultry business operating in the Wye catchment, has committed to prevent the sale of chicken litter as a fertiliser within the River Wye Special Area of Conservation, comprising the sub-catchments of the Upper and Lower Wye, and the Lugg.

In a letter to its farming partners, Avara's chief executive, Andy Dawkins, said the primary reason for the change should be “self-evident: The continued deterioration of the Wye has been well reported and, while the root causes are many and complex, the role of phosphate, from poultry litter in particular, has been the focal point of many campaigns. As the largest poultry business in the region, the onus is on us to manage our supply chain, set an example for others and to use what influence we have to support change elsewhere in the catchment.” The company has drawn up a roadmap based around a comment to “make sure that our supply chain is demonstrably not part of the problem by 2025".

River Action heralded the move as “the first tangible action being taken by a polluter to save the River Wye”. It called on Avara to explain where the manure will go instead, and to contribute to cleaning up existing damage. The campaigner challenged other poultry businesses in the area to follow Avara’s lead in taking action, notably Noble Foods, the UK’s largest egg producer.