Along the run they encountered herds of deer, plus masses of Himalayan Balsam, and nettles 6ft tall. “To run the whole length of the Wye and to see clearly the decline of the water quality is really bad. But, the views were spectacular, especially in the Lower Wye, making the run really enjoyable and the blisters not so sore” Joe commented. To see more images of Joe & Harvey’s run. Look at ‘Run the Wye’ on Facebook and Twitter.
John Reed, Director of Avara met with Mike Dunsbee and Nick Day of Friends of the Lower Wye last week and confirmed that the 108 farms (which contain at any one time 16m chickens in sheds) supplied by them within the Wye catchment area have agreed to have the manure removed from the catchment area by the end of this year. That would be a total of 130,000 tons.
Through these actions it is hoped that nature would be able to bring life back into the river and valley. John Reed did highlight that they were not the largest producer in Powys and that other companies should now follow their lead.
Mike & Nick said that “This is a step in the right direction and the NFU should be seen as congratulating Avara on the incentive and ensuring that the remaining manure is spread in the controlled manner so that crops will continue to flourish”. “ Ideally all land beside the river should be farmed in a regenerative fashion, whilst maintaining the 10mtr buffer zone for wildflowers, grasses and trees.” they concluded.