The health status of the River Wye has been downgraded after assessments have shown the 155-mile long river has experienced declines in key species such as the Atlantic salmon and white-clawed crayfish. The Wye - which flows from mid-Wales to the Severn estuary in England - has been reclassified from “unfavourable-improving” to “unfavourable-declining” by Natural England.
The new status means the condition of the river - already deemed poor - is now worsening. Wildlife charities have blamed the government of failing to stop farming pollution harming the waterway. The High Court has already launched a review due to claims that the Environment Agency (EA) has failed to protect the River Wye from agricultural pollution.
It's been reported previously that the decline of the river is due in part to intensive chicken farming in the catchment. It's not a new problem but it's one that has prompted Environment Secretary Therese Coffey to visit the area on May 29 to discuss the state of the river. According to Charles Watson, the founder and chairman of River Action UK, citizen scientists have counted 24m chickens being intensively reared in the catchment and another 1m in planning applications.
