Pig and poultry sectors reject Wildlife Trusts claims

Pig and poultry industry representatives have rejected claims made in a new report from the Wildlife Trusts which accuses the sectors of having have a negative impact on the countryside, water quality and pollution.

Barnaby Coupe, senior land use policy manager at the Wildlife Trusts, said: “It’s clear that the significant impacts of pig and poultry production in the UK extend well beyond the intensive farming units themselves and should leave us in no doubt that further action is needed to address the risks of environmental harms.”

See also: Wildlife Trusts call for nature-friendly farming policies

Mr Coupe said a requirement for nutrient management action plans and reformed permit regimes could help address these issues, but needed support from both the government and industry.

Key findings

According to the report, the UK pig and poultry sectors are concentrated into “hotspot” areas.

It says just five council areas are home to the majority of the pig population in England, while 10 council areas house more than half of England’s chickens.

The report suggests current regulations are insufficient to manage potential environmental impacts.

It puts the combined waste from pig and poultry production at 10.4m cubic metres a year in the UK, while it also claims that more than a third of the UK’s total wheat crop is grown to feed pigs and poultry.

The use of fertiliser and pesticides associated with producing these crops risks more pollution, it claims, placing further pressure on UK wildlife.

Highly regulated

National Pig Association chief executive Lizzie Wilson rebutted the claims. “The pig sector is, by way of various environmental legislation, including environmental permitting, one of the most highly regulated sectors within agriculture,” she said.

Along with the poultry sector, she said the pig sector was responsible for just two pollution incidents last year, out of a total of 77 throughout the whole of agriculture.

While grain was a significant component of pig feed, Ms Wilson said the sector also used more than 1m tonnes annually of by- and co-products from the human food supply chain, which constituted about 44% of the total ration fed.

The NPA added that the appropriate use of organic fertiliser also reduced the use of artificial fertilisers, improved soil health and organic matter content, and increased water-holding capacity and therefore crop yield.

Lack of understanding

British Poultry Council chief executive Richard Griffiths described the Wildlife Trusts’ accusations as “disingenuous”, adding: “They show a lack of understanding of how we feed the nation, from an organisation that would see the country go hungry for its ideology.

“The impact on wildlife and the environment are crucial considerations in all our activities, they are supported by science and regulated by government experts,” Mr Griffiths added.

“This includes the use of manure, the majority of which is used in power generation and the remainder as a valuable fertiliser for farmland.”