Briefing 4 Water pollution from intensive poultry unit developments

Dr Alison Caffyn

Nov 2021

One of the issues which most concerned local people about the increasing numbers of intensive poultry units (IPUs) across Herefordshire and Shropshire was water pollution. Communities felt that the increased numbers of birds and the manure produced would inevitably lead to more nutrients and chemicals getting into streams and rivers. Poultry manure contains high levels of phosphates and nitrates which cause eutrophication in rivers, killing plant and animal life in watercourses.

In contrast, the poultry industry claimed that there were no pathways for extra nutrients to reach watercourses. This briefing, the fourth in the series, explores the issues around water pollution linked to the intensive poultry industry and what these reveal about local power relations.

Download the full research briefing