A new independent report, commissioned by The Wildlife Trusts, has for the first time investigated the cumulative impact of the UK pig and poultry sector on the wider countryside, including the damaging effects of growing the vast feedstocks needed for these animals. The findings reveal the deep impacts of these increasingly intensive industries on water quality and pollution levels. 

Key findings include:  

• The scale of the UK pig and poultry sector is huge, with intensive production highly concentrated into ‘hotspot’ areas which often mean current regulations are insufficient to manage the potential environmental impacts of these enterprises.
• The waste from pig and poultry production is about 10.4 million cubic metres per year in the UK, equivalent to 4,160 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The high level of nutrients found in this excreta make it hard to use this waste sustainably.
• Over a third of the UK’s total wheat crop is grown for consumption by pigs and poultry. The fertiliser and pesticide use associated with producing a high output of these cheap grains risks more pollution, placing further pressure on UK wildlife. 

Barnaby Coupe, senior land use policy manager at The Wildlife Trusts says:  

“Assessment of the environmental impacts of pig and poultry production to date has largely focussed on the immediate risks of slurry pollution, but this research looks for the first time at the wider risks across the whole UK sector – in particular the vast land take for feed production.  

“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." 

“A requirement for nutrient management action plans and reformed permitting regimes can help address these issues, but crucially there must be support from both Government and the industry so farmers are not landed with the burden of fixing this broken system. Farmers are facing enormous challenges right now and need support if they are to maximise benefits for the environment, particularly for water quality and biodiversity.”  

In revealing that more than half a million hectares of land is used to grow the feedstocks required for pigs and poultry in the UK, the report identifies another harmful environmental impact. These feedstocks are often grown using a cocktail of chemicals – pesticides and fertilisers – and intensive practices which damage soils and expose rivers and waterways to pollutants whilst also posing risks to pollinators and other wildlife.  

Barnaby Coupe continues:  

“The Government is currently working up a suite of significant policies which will impact the future of farming in England, including the Land Use Framework, revised Environment Improvement Plan, Farming Roadmap, and a Water Reform Bill – it’s critical that these policies recognise the true scale of this industry’s impact on the nation’s environmental resilience. 

“The findings of this report clearly show that solutions must be found by the supply chain and by Government in order to support farmers to transition to a less polluting and more integrated pig and poultry system which in turn helps to clean up our rivers and meet our legally binding nature recovery and climate targets.” 

Read the full report