Legal challenge starts over pollution in the River Wye in Herefordshire
The River Action group claims it has not been protected sufficiently
Proceedings get underway in Cardiff today, as the River Action charity start a two day legal challenge against the Environment Agency and Defra.
The group claims that there has been a failure in protecting the River Wye from pollution coming from nearby poultry production manure.
Being the fourth largest river in the UK, 155 miles long, it's home to a diverse selection of wildlife.
Last year, the river was downgraded due to an assessment showing that there were declines in the population of Atlantic Salmon and White-Clawed Crayfish - and evidence that water quality was deteriorating in one of the river’s tributaries the Lugg.
At the time, the Environment Agency said that this had not been a sudden decline in the health of the river, and that more evidence was still needed to assess all issues impacting water quality, they also deny the claim from the group.
In a statement, an Environment Agency spokesperson said: “Since 2021 we have performed more than 7,000 farm inspections and required farmers to carry out over 11,400 improvement actions, including around the River Wye.
"These range from improving slurry storage to better management of nutrients, and our inspection regime is supported by the use of technology such as satellite images and drone footage.
“Anyone caught breaching environmental laws faces enforcement action, up to and including prosecution.
“We are unable to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”
Farming rules for water were introduced by the government in 2018 to help protect rivers from pollution, and last year alone the Environment agency issued 285 improvement actions to farms along the river.
Water quality levels in the river are mainly affected by phosphates, with the Environment Agency estimating over 70% of the phosphate load in the Wye comes from agricultural pollution from livestock manure, washed in during rainfall.
Climate change has also been labelled as another factor which could have an impact on water quality levels going forward.