The River Wye
Avara has been part of the local economy since the 1960’s and we are one of the main employers in the catchment area, directly employing approximately 1,500 people who live, work and play in the catchment, plus many more that work with our wider supply chain. We all want to see a healthy river. That is why we believe we have done more than any other poultry business to respond to concerns and to support efforts to develop understanding on the complex subject of river health.
The biological situation in the river is complicated, and many factors need to be considered. There are no scientific studies, or data, that identifies Avara Foods or even our wider supply chain as a cause of the river’s condition. Recent academic studies highlight the contribution of climate change to the issue, as well as other factors unrelated to Avara’s operations.
We believe that the criticism directed at us is based on a misunderstanding of how indoor poultry farms operate, and their relationship with their immediate environment. No manure is stored or spread on poultry units that supply Avara Foods and where poultry manure is used as fertiliser, it is for other produce in other agricultural sectors. Individual farmers are responsible for how nutrients are used in their arable operations and for compliance with the regulations that govern its use. Avara is not involved in any arable operations and has no control over this activity.
All our poultry is produced in Britain to standards that are amongst the highest in the world. We believe that concerns about the nutrient levels should focus on solutions that will address the effects of climate change, and the means by which nutrient pollution occurs. We employ 5,000 people in the UK and approximately 1,500 people in the catchment area, and we all want a healthy River Wye.
Common misconceptions
If Avara left the catchment, the problem would be solved?
The situation in the Wye is complex and any serious conversation about water quality must include solutions to various challenges, including excess nutrients, chemical pollution, biodiversity loss and the impact of climate change on water temperature and flow.
From January 2024 all the manure from our supply chain that would have been sold as fertiliser within the catchment is being exported elsewhere in the UK. By doing this, the majority of the manure generated from farms that supply us has been removed from the catchment, without closing a farm or disrupting the supply of food. However, this does not affect nutrient demand from other agriculture sectors within the catchment.
Poultry farmers just dump manure on their farm.
Manure is not stored, spread or in any other way disposed of on poultry farms that supply Avara: they are sealed houses that stand on concrete. Any manure that would have been sold and then used as fertiliser in the catchment area prior to January 2024 is now exported from the area.
Poultry manure is a waste product that’s just being dumped in the catchment.
Poultry manure is a fertiliser that’s highly valued, and widely used, by arable farmers, who pay for it if they don’t produce it themselves. Since January 2024 none of the farms in Avara’s supply chain sell manure for use as fertiliser in the catchment area. The majority of land in the catchment is used for agriculture, so there is a significant demand for fertiliser, which is met with other animal manures, inorganic fertiliser, and poultry manure from producers outside Avara’s supply chain.
Avara Foods is a major polluter in the Wye
Avara Foods does not store, spread or in any other way apply manure to land in the catchment.
All poultry manure needs to be exported out of the catchment to solve the problem
Poultry manure is a widely used fertiliser. If it were no longer available, the health of the Wye would still depend on the careful use of whatever fertiliser replaces it. If that fertiliser is applied in excess of crop need, nutrient levels would grow.
Removing poultry manure would also not account for other ways in which phosphates enter the river, including through water treatment and sewage overflows, and other forms of livestock manure. It would also fail to address the other causes of increased nutrient levels, including chemical pollution, biodiversity loss and the impact of climate change on water temperature and flow.
The rising number of Intensive Poultry Units is the root cause of the problems in the Wye catchment
The factors that contribute to increased nutrient levels are complex and cannot be accurately simplified to a single root cause or solution.
Reports from Cardiff University and the Environment Agency suggest that climate change is a potentially more significant factor than nutrient pollution from arable farming.
Data from Lancaster University suggests that the increase in excess phosphorus peaked in the late 1970's / early 1980's, before the growth of intensive poultry farming in the region. Since then the level of excess has reduced.
Since 2015 there has been a further significant increase in the number of poultry farms, but many of these are in Powys, in the Upper Wye, where there are very few farms that supply Avara.
Finally, indoor IPUs (farms that house over 40,000 birds) keep the manure separated from the land, so there is no run-off nor leaching through soil, and since January 2024 any manure that would have been sold and then used as fertiliser in the catchment area is now exported from the area. To address excess phosphorus in the catchment, both current and legacy, improved soil management in other agriculture sectors and better enforcement of standards is essential.
The phosphorus in the poultry manure is from imported feed ingredients, mostly South American soya
Soya comprises less than 25% of our birds' diets and represents a small proportion of the phosphorus in the diet. Our feed is made from a variety of UK cereals, including wheat, as well as amino acids and other nutrients that are needed to support healthy growth and development.
It's time that Avara did something
We were the first business in the catchment to publish accurate data about our supply chain and a clear roadmap for action. We have been working with local knowledge experts, including the Wye and Usk Foundation.
From January 2024, any manure generated on farms that supply us and would have been sold as fertiliser in the catchment is being exported. In addition, the small number of farmers that supply us, and also retain manure for fertiliser on their other farmland, agreed to pilot new soil assurance standards under Red Tractor.
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