Most UK dairy farms ignoring pollution rules as manure spews into rivers

A herd of cows can emit the equivalent amount of pollution as 10,000 people, campaigners say. Photograph: Lou Benoist/AFP/Getty Images

The majority of UK dairy farms are breaking pollution rules, with vast amounts of cow manure being spilled into rivers.

When animal waste enters the river, it causes a buildup of the nutrients found in the effluent, such as nitrates and phosphates. These cause algal blooms, which deplete the waterway of oxygen and block sunlight, choking fish and other aquatic life.