River Action launches legal challenge on NRW poultry permits

Environmental charity River Action has launched a judicial review against Natural Resources Wales (NRW) following the regulator’s decision to approve the expansion of three intensive poultry units in Powys.

The case centres on NRW’s November 2025 decision to vary environmental permits at Llanshay Farm, Neuadd Isaf Poultry Farm and Rhosddu Farm, allowing the businesses to increase bird numbers.

River Action claims the regulator has taken an “unlawfully narrow” view of its powers by declining to assess the environmental impact of manure once it leaves the farm boundary.

See also: Water quality and supply: Striking the right balance on farm

NRW has previously stated that under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016 it does not have the legal authority to regulate manure after it is exported off-site, and that responsibility for its storage, disposal or land spreading falls within the planning system and other regulatory frameworks.

On that basis, it did not impose additional permit conditions relating to off-site manure management.

River Action argues this approach misinterprets both legislation and recent case law. The charity says NRW is obliged to consider the potential downstream impacts of manure linked to permitted poultry operations, particularly in sensitive river catchments such as the River Wye and the River Severn.

Emma Dearnaley, River Action’s head of legal, said pollution from intensive poultry farming “doesn’t stop at the farm boundary” and claimed NRW had treated the installation boundary as the limit of its regulatory responsibility.

The group is asking the court to quash the three permit decisions and clarify the scope of NRW’s duties.

The Powys units are within catchments that have faced mounting environmental concern in recent years, with campaigners attributing declining water quality to nutrient inputs from multiple sources, including agriculture, wastewater and urban runoff.

An NRW spokesman confirmed that the regulator was aware of the proceedings and was awaiting formal documentation. “As the legal process is now formally under way, we will not be providing any further comment at this time,” the spokesman said.

Reaction

NFU Cymru said it could not comment on reports of legal action related to other groups or bodies. But a union spokesman said: “Welsh farmers produce food to some of the world’s highest standards and the industry is one of the most highly regulated sectors in the country.”

The Welsh government told Farmers Weekly it also could not comment on individual legal cases, but said it remains “absolutely focused” on improving the water quality of our rivers.

A spokesman said: “We work closely with Natural Resources Wales on all aspects of water and river pollution, and that is why we have invested an additional £5m in enforcement this year.

“We have also provided more than £56m of additional funding between 2022 and 2026 to address water quality challenges across Wales, and we remain committed to working with regulators, developers, farmers and communities to secure the long-term health of our water environment.”

The judicial review will determine whether NRW acted lawfully in interpreting the limits of its permitting powers – a decision that could shape how intensive livestock operations are regulated in Wales in the years ahead.