What Came First: The Chicken (Sh*t) or the Egg?
- UK Youth for Nature
- Jun 10
- 5 min read
By Millie Parks
Buying eggs might be the only time you decide how much a chicken’s happiness is worth: £1.20 for suffering, or £3.50 for sunshine and space. But how often do you really stop to consider where those eggs come from? Perhaps you imagine chickens pecking for worms in an open meadow or settling into pastel-coloured coops at dusk. In reality, most supermarket eggs and chickens are produced in ‘Intensive Poultry Units’, known as IPUs .
What are IPUs?
Intensive poultry units are large-scale industrial farming operations where chickens are reared in high-density, controlled environments to maximise production. These facilities - often housing tens of thousands of birds indoors - are designed for efficiency, not welfare. In the UK, facilities with more than 40,000 birds are classed as intensive and require environmental permits (The Guardian, 2020). Not quite the rustic wooden coop you had in mind.
So where are these IPUs?
Most IPUs are concentrated along the Wales-England border, particularly in Herefordshire, Shropshire and Powys - regions cradling the Severn and Wye rivers. As of 2024, over 51 million chickens are housed in IPUs along these valleys. (The Guardian). Dr Alison Caffyn, an academic living in Shropshire who is leading the judicial review against a new IPU, told The Guardian: “There are now nearly 65 chickens for every person in Shropshire”. This shift toward US-style mega-farms remains controversial in the UK, as consumer demand for cheap protein outweighs concerns about welfare or environmental impact.
How does chicken manure pollute rivers?
This extreme concentration of livestock has serious environmental consequences. Local communities along the Wye and Severn have witnessed firsthand how how chicken manure has polluted these rivers. Chicken manure (sh*t) is rich in nutrients, particularly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. While beneficial in small amounts as fertilisers, the sheer volume produced by IPUs overwhelms natural systems. Processed through anaerobic digesters, chicken waste is turned into a fertiliser-like digestate and spread on surrounding farmland (Afonydd Cymru). But in heavy rain, this digestate can run off fields and seep into nearby rivers.
Eutrophication and Ecological Collapse
In excess, nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen cause eutrophication - an explosive algae growth that depletes oxygen in the water, suffocating aquatic life (Environment Agency, 2019). According to the Wye & Usk Foundation, under ideal conditions, algae cells can divide every 24-48 hours, forming thick, oxygen-sapping blooms that turn once-thriving rivers into lifeless green sludge as they flow downstream
Case study: River Wye
The Wye and Severn rivers are bearing the brunt. In the Wye catchment, phosphorus levels are nearly 60% higher than the UK average (The RePhoKUs Project). Natural England downgraded the Wye’s status to “unfavorable, declining,” due to its deteriorating water quality, biodiversity and habitat condition (River Action).
Accountability and Legal Action
In Shropshire, Herefordshire and Powys, pollution from IPUs has triggered legal challenges. While councils and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) have a statutory duty to protect Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) like the Wye, enforcement has been lax . In February 2024, charity River Action took DEFRA and the Environment Agency and DEFRA to court for failing to enforce the 2018 Farming Rules for Water. The court ruled that farming practices must change to comply with these rules. (River Action).
The Red Tractor Myth
Many IPUs hide behind greenwashing schemes like the ‘Red Tractor’ certification - a label widely mistaken for assurance of high welfare and environmental standards. But an Environment Agency investigation in 2020 revealed that Red Tractor-certified farms were responsible for the most serious pollution incidents (Environment Agency, 2020). Of 4,064 cases, Red Tractor-certified farms accounted for 62% of category 1 and 2 incidents, and 56% of category 3 incidents (Leigh Day, 2023). Shockingly, Red Tractor farms were less compliant with inspections than uncertified ones (26% vs. 19%).
Climate Change Will Make It Worse
Without urgent change, climate breakdown will exacerbate river pollution. Warmer summers and erratic rainfall will accelerate algae blooms and increase runoff from fertilised fields.The Environment Agency projects a 30% increase in phosphorus runoff from agriculture by 2050 (Environment Agency, 2019), linking to an increase in some algae, including blue-green species, which are toxic to humans, causing skin irritation, vomiting, diarrhoea and even respiratory issues (UK Gov, 2019). I
The Drum’s Been Beating for Years
This damage to the lifeblood of our landscapes is not new. Campaigners have raised the alarm about IPUs for over 15 years. But it wasn’t until a major algal bloom in 2020 that legacy media took notice. Despite mounting evidence, IPUs continue to spread, driven by consumer demand. Farmers are meeting market expectations. If consumers don’t demand change, why would the system shift?
Consumer Action: The Power of the Pound
We can vote with our wallets to protect our rivers. By buying eggs and meat from farmers who respect animals and ecosystems, we invest in food systems that work with nature, not against it. Choosing local, organic products and rejecting artificially cheap supermarket meat sends a clear signal: environmental destruction is not on our menu.
Take Action:
Sign UK Youth for Nature’s open letter in Wales calling for:
Fair funding for nature-friendly farming
Stronger action to recover freshwater species
Legally binding targets to reduce freshwater pollution
Consumer Action
Boycott brands sourcing from polluting IPUs (including Nando’s)
Consider a less but better approach to animal products overall. If you do buy meat or eggs, make sure it’s local, free-range and ideally organic or certified Pasture for Life.
Pressure supermarkets to drop harmful suppliers
Political Action
Contact your MP to demand better enforcement of farming regulations
Support campaigns led by:
River Action
Wye & Usk Foundation
Afonydd Cymru
How to Contact Your MP
1. Find your MP
Use the UK Parliament website: www.theyworkforyou.com
Enter your postcode to find your MP's name, party and contact details.
2. Choose your method
Email is quickest and easiest.
Call the constituency office if you want to follow up.
Attend a surgery – MPs hold regular face-to-face meetings with constituents.
3. Write a clear, respectful message
Use your own words wherever possible
MPs value personal, concise letters from constituents far more than copied-and-pasted templates
What to Say: Sample Email
Subject: Urgent Action Needed on River Pollution and Intensive Poultry Farming
Dear [MP’s Name],
I’m writing as a concerned constituent in [your town or village] about the devastating impact of pollution from Intensive Poultry Units (IPUs) on rivers like the Wye and Severn.
Industrial-scale chicken farms are producing excessive nutrient runoff, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, which is choking our rivers with harmful algae blooms. This threatens biodiversity, public health and the long-term viability of our food systems. Despite the legal framework of the Farming Rules for Water, enforcement remains alarmingly weak.
I urge you to:
Support stronger enforcement of existing regulations on agricultural pollution
Oppose further planning approvals for IPUs in ecologically sensitive catchments
Press for reform of misleading certification schemes like Red Tractor
Advocate for fairer support for farmers transitioning to nature-friendly practices
This is an urgent environmental and public health issue. The health of our rivers - and the communities and ecosystems that rely on them - cannot wait.
I would appreciate knowing your stance on this issue and what steps you are taking to ensure meaningful action is taken.
Sincerely,
[Your full name]
[Your full address and postcode – this proves you're a constituent]
References
Most linked in-text
Comments