Dear Mr Andrew Dawkins, CEO @AvaraFoods
Here is OUR River Wye Roadmap.
It's time for Avara-Cargill to be open and honest, and agree a realistic plan to tackle your mountain of chicken waste and properly fund a restoration of the River Wye 🧵#SaveTheWye#StopKillingTheWye
The Avara Foods Roadmap
Your document mentions accountability but only commits to your supply chain not contributing to excess phosphate in the River Wye by 2025. Even if this is achieved (highly questionable) your roadmap will have no effect on your previous actions /
/ which have largely contributed to legacy phosphate already present in Wye catchment.
This has come into focus with judgement in Oklahoma case over poultry pollution. It is clear Cargill, your parent company, was aware of this in 2005 #cargillknewapnews.com/article/politi…
Therefore could you please provide details of your plans to address this disastrous and destructive issue? Specifically:
1. "...they originate from numerous sources including sewage treatment facilities and agricultural activities."
It has been shown by the @RePhoKUs report that they originate from numerous sources but PRIMARILY agricultural activities and to a much less extent, sewage treatment facilities and this should be reflected in your roadmap.
2. "Manure: Sold to 3rd Party AD"
This states that phosphate stripping will be included in the overall process. Is the proposal that the AD strips phosphate? If this is the case please provide the scientific, independently verified evidence.
3. "Since 2016 we have successfully reduced the amount of phosphate in our feed by 27%, without compromising the nutritional value or bird welfare".
Please provide evidence to substantiate this claim.
In addition have the associated increase in feed volumes during this period been included in the calculations to support the implied overall reduction in phosphate in your feeds?
4. Is the accurate data mapping of manure and phosphate volumes in the catchment available in the public domain and, if so, please could you provide this information?
5. The use of a novel AD appears absolutely critical to success of this roadmap. By definition this novel approach appears to be highly precarious, particularly given the magnitude and importance of the problem. Does this novel AD refer to Whitwick Manor AD planning application?
If so this strategy becomes even more risky because the proposed technology for phosphate removal is completely untested.
In addition there are major local objections to the Whitwick AD planning application for many reasons. Therefore the assumption that it will be fully operational by the end of 2024 seems optimistic, at best.
A group of us went back to the source of the River Wye at Pumlumon today, revisiting the route we had taken at the beginning of our #walkingwiththewye pilgrimage
Magical light on the way back down
Drifts of bog asphodel, fields of soft rush and clumps of bell heather on our way back to Maesnant