River Wye legal action

[unlacedgecko]

Solicitors Leigh Day (of bogus Iraqi torture claim fame) are investigating a possible legal action against River Wye poultry industry over water quality.

River Wye catchment area landowners, businesses and clubs may have legal claim for damages against chicken producers for pollution - River Action UK %

Law firm Leigh Day is investigating the potential for Wye Valley residents to sue chicken producers whose farming on an industrial scale is polluting the River Wye.

riveractionuk.com

 

[robs1]

Hope their sh!t doesn't end up in the river, ah can be see a slight problem.

 

[Tarw Coch]

Can they make such a legal claim against an entire sector upstream, it may well be that those poultry farms are adding to the phosphate in the water but for a legal claim wouldn’t they need to prove responsibility on each one?

Also wondering why they don’t go after the water companies who it is well documented do at times let raw sewage straight into watercourses, far easier to prove, the cynic in me thinking that they may have deeper pockets than the farmers to mount a defence.

I see they are also going after the EA for allowing them to be built, maybe they have a point there but the cynic in me again thinks deep ockets, they won’t get far. OTOH, if they did win against the EA would that then lead to the possibility of the EA being taken on by the farmers for allowing them to be built as a win could possibly lead to those farmers incurring extra costs or being closed down, quite possibly before their investment had been paid back. Again my cynical mind thinks fighting those with deep pockets so ain’t going to win.

Glad I’m not a poultry farmer in the river wye catchment area

 

[vantage]

Can they make such a legal claim against an entire sector upstream, it may well be that those poultry farms are adding to the phosphate in the water but for a legal claim wouldn’t they need to prove responsibility on each one?

Also wondering why they don’t go after the water companies who it is well documented do at times let raw sewage straight into watercourses, far easier to prove, the cynic in me thinking that they may have deeper pockets than the farmers to mount a defence.

I see they are also going after the EA for allowing them to be built, maybe they have a point there but the cynic in me again thinks deep ockets, they won’t get far. OTOH, if they did win against the EA would that then lead to the possibility of the EA being taken on by the farmers for allowing them to be built as a win could possibly lead to those farmers incurring extra costs or being closed down, quite possibly before their investment had been paid back. Again my cynical mind thinks fighting those with deep pockets so ain’t going to win.

Glad I’m not a poultry farmer in the river wye catchment area

My son WhatsApped me the other day, levels of phosphates in the Usk are higher than the Wye, only three poultry farms on the Usk. What does that tell you?

 

[topground]

Who funds Leigh Day?
They don’t work for nothing and would not take on a case like this if they either knew that their costs would be recovered from the opposition or someone has already handed them a large cheque.

 

[Universe]

My son WhatsApped me the other day, levels of phosphates in the Usk are higher than the Wye, only three poultry farms on the Usk. What does that tell you?

Could be very large chicken farms with steep impervious banksides and fast heavy rainfall
Understand what you are saying, but so many factors of why it could be so, including who is testing, where and even maybe how they want the results to fall... not pushing a conspiracy, but hard to know what to trust nowadays.

 

[Bald Rick]

My son WhatsApped me the other day, levels of phosphates in the Usk are higher than the Wye, only three poultry farms on the Usk. What does that tell you?

It tells me that domestic sewage from soakaways AND from water companies flushing out during times of heavy rain plus grey water from washing machines and a bit of ag run-off are entering water ways

 

[Bury the Trash]

It tells me that domestic sewage from soakaways AND from water companies flushing out during times of heavy rain plus grey water from washing machines and a bit of ag run-off are entering water ways

This.
Its an undeniable factual thing that happens and its deliberate .

 

[wanton dwarf]

It tells me that domestic sewage from soakaways AND from water companies flushing out during times of heavy rain plus grey water from washing machines and a bit of ag run-off are entering water ways

It would take muck spreaders along the river bank spreading into the river every few minutes for there to be any net effect - which is obvious.

The pollution is already there.

Our local river is polluted at source via an ex Coal mine - which also has been onfire - not as though the local river authority tells local farmers. The local sewerage works is over capacity, again the local Authorities know this. Their plan is now to pump sewerage to a different area - now call me stupid but aren't the water companies supposed to be treating sewerage rather than dumping it into rivers ?

The River Authority are trying to get local farmers to cut back on fertiliser usage whilst it will make no difference at all.

 

[___\0/___]

It would take muck spreaders along the river bank spreading into the river every few minutes for there to be any net effect - which is obvious.

The pollution is already there.

Our local river is polluted at source via an ex Coal mine - which also has been onfire - not as though the local river authority tells local farmers. The local sewerage works is over capacity, again the local Authorities know this. Their plan is now to pump sewerage to a different area - now call me stupid but aren't the water companies supposed to be treating sewerage rather than dumping it into rivers ?

The River Authority are trying to get local farmers to cut back on fertiliser usage whilst it will make no difference at all.

Think what they are trying to say is the phosphate is already in there in the soil so any high phosphate fertiliser added causes leaching into the river? Possibly misunderstanding it.

They don't (or didn't) have any access to soil samples for most of the farms along the fields so were going with that River water testing analysis.

 

[wr.]

My son WhatsApped me the other day, levels of phosphates in the Usk are higher than the Wye, only three poultry farms on the Usk. What does that tell you?

Thousands of tons of treated sewage sludge being dumped on farms here in the Usk valley by Welsh Water for farmers to spread.

 

[Tarw Coch]

Thousands of tons of treated sewage sludge being dumped on farms here in the Usk valley by Welsh Water for farmers to spread.

Who takes the blame for that?
The people who flush the loo
Welsh water
Or the farmers for letting them tip it

 

[case 5140]

I used to farm in Derbyshire lots of chicken {Moypark} farms in the area all shite when to the powerstaions

 

[Ffermer Bach]

I used to farm in Derbyshire lots of chicken {Moypark} farms in the area all shite when to the powerstaions

isn't that where fibrophos comes from?

 

[organic]

There's a lot of testing for phosphates on the River Wye and its tribs mainly done by volunteeres.

Locally there is a Welsh Water works.

The volunteers sample above and below it.

And, surprise, the readings for phosphates are much higher below the plant than upstream of it.

Tells you everything.

 

[wr.]

Who takes the blame for that?
The people who flush the loo
Welsh water
Or the farmers for letting them tip it

Mainly, the last two, in my opinion. I could take you to a couple of fields local to me where WW have dumped tens of tons of the stuff where it's running into water courses when it rains heavy. One is running directly into the Usk. WW and the farmers squarely to blame in these instances.

 

[Jonp]

One of my mates takes treated sewerage sludge for his grass fields and gives good results.
Can only have it after soil sampling confirms it's needed.
Winter storage needs to be under cover on hardstanding.
Summer storage needs to be in a bunded area away from watercourses.
Says it's currently in short supply for smaller farms this summer as most going to arable farms.
Winter storage unviable as it would need a dedicated new shed as all his sheds are full of forage during winter.

 

[robs1]

One of my mates takes treated sewerage sludge for his grass fields and gives good results.
Can only have it after soil sampling confirms it's needed.
Winter storage needs to be under cover on hardstanding.
Summer storage needs to be in a bunded area away from watercourses.
Says it's currently in short supply for smaller farms this summer as most going to arable farms.
Winter storage unviable as it would need a dedicated new shed as all his sheds are full of forage during winter.

As is always the case if the rules are stuck too it's fine but always some that will bend the rules

 

[Sausage]

I happened to catch some of countryfile in Sunday. They devoted a lot of time to Wye pollution. Interviewed water company, even treated water discharged is high in phosphates, so unless they come up with a different treatment there is now hope.

 

[Tarw Coch]

Mainly, the last two, in my opinion. I could take you to a couple of fields local to me where WW have dumped tens of tons of the stuff where it's running into water courses when it rains heavy. One is running directly into the Usk. WW and the farmers squarely to blame in these instances.

Yes, I could take you to a field where United Utilities, Liverpool I believe, have tipped many loads of sludge right up against a ditch , it’s been there since last summer……..indeed it has been tipped on the same spot for several years now