New Pollution Rules Hit Industrial Poultry Farms
Industrial poultry farms will have to follow strict guidelines on disposing of chicken manure under recent court rulings. A high court decision has identified chicken manure as equivalent to industrial waste, necessitating detailed and transparent plans for its disposal without environmental harm.
This change impacts large-scale farms in Herefordshire, mandating the treatment of poultry manure as hazardous waste. Its implementation follows the degradation of the River Wye due to intensive chicken farming, associated with its high levels of phosphate from chicken manure seeping into the river.
Efforts to combat the pollution of the River Wye include a £1 million government fund for research and potential cuts in the number of chickens in the area. Studies recommend an 80% reduction in poultry manure in the River Wye catchment area.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) had argued that manure should be classified as an agricultural byproduct. However, the court refuted this, stating that manure disposal isn’t currently environmentally safe, and hence, it qualifies as “waste” according to the waste framework directive until it is sold or transferred.
As a result, new chicken units will not only need to plan for secure manure disposal but also provide full transparency about the manure’s fate. Advocacy groups like River Action applaud the decision, asserting that it defines intensive livestock farming as an industrial process with toxic waste products.
River Action’s chair, Charles Watson, stated that this ruling highlights the industrial nature of intensive animal production and its waste. Legal teams representing River Action, such as Carol Day from Leigh Day, emphasized that new intensive poultry operations will need robust manure management plans.
The NFU, however, announced its intent to review the judgment and consider an appeal. They reiterated Britain’s farmers’ commitment to environmental stewardship and their existing efforts to improve water quality, despite the NFU’s clear disappointment with the ruling.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/11/chicken-manure-can-be-classified-as-industrial-waste-judge-rules
