The High Court is set to launch a review due to claims that the Environment Agency (EA) has failed to protect the River Wye from agricultural pollution, the BBC has reported. According to environmental charity, River Action, destructive levels of nutrients from organic manure have entered the river, which stretches from Plynlimon in Ceredigion to the Severn Estuary.
It is estimated that around 20 million chickens are raised in the River Wye catchment at any point in time, which is about 25% of UK poultry production. In response, the Environment Agency has said that it was "working hard" and had already taken measures to restore the area.
According to BBC Wales, a large amount of organic manure has been spread over the land to facilitate the poultry industry's rapid growth near the River Wye, which as a result, has lead to a substantial increase in levels of phosphorus in the soil. When the phosphorus is washed into the river by rainwater, it causes prolonged algal blooms which suffocate plants and wildlife by sucking up all the oxygen and turning the water into opaque green.
