All English Rivers - Nothing New
Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 10:49 am
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59955624
You will all have heard or read this in the last 24 hrs, no doubt.
The Wye chicken farm pollutions have been widely and loudly covered in the last 12+ months. There is nothing new about farm pollutions of our watercourses, regrettably. I am slightly shocked that we have NO clean rivers in England, though.
ALL the "forever culprits" are at it all the time and I'm afraid that farmers always get an easy ride from the EA. Slurry tank/pit leaks and slurry spraying right on the banks of rivers, ponds and lakes are symptomatic of the wish to grow maize on unsuitable clay ground so that dairy herds can be kept and fed in barns. Much easier than grass-feeding! It will surely not be long before giant feedlots become the norm in England. However, it is good to read that some applications for massive cattle/milk production facilities (won't call them "farms") have been refused.
The water companies also get away with everything. Only Fish Legal act against them, the EA having given up what they consider to be the unequal struggle.
I will not ramble on about all the other threats and damage to our rivers. This is covered in other threads here and I would be in danger of transgressing Mark's "no politics" rule! It is all mightily depressing.
It is a bad and sad day when your club have to give up a favourite lake because the results of slurry spraying make it impossible to manage the water and members no longer want to fish it.
Mike
You will all have heard or read this in the last 24 hrs, no doubt.
The Wye chicken farm pollutions have been widely and loudly covered in the last 12+ months. There is nothing new about farm pollutions of our watercourses, regrettably. I am slightly shocked that we have NO clean rivers in England, though.
ALL the "forever culprits" are at it all the time and I'm afraid that farmers always get an easy ride from the EA. Slurry tank/pit leaks and slurry spraying right on the banks of rivers, ponds and lakes are symptomatic of the wish to grow maize on unsuitable clay ground so that dairy herds can be kept and fed in barns. Much easier than grass-feeding! It will surely not be long before giant feedlots become the norm in England. However, it is good to read that some applications for massive cattle/milk production facilities (won't call them "farms") have been refused.
The water companies also get away with everything. Only Fish Legal act against them, the EA having given up what they consider to be the unequal struggle.
I will not ramble on about all the other threats and damage to our rivers. This is covered in other threads here and I would be in danger of transgressing Mark's "no politics" rule! It is all mightily depressing.
It is a bad and sad day when your club have to give up a favourite lake because the results of slurry spraying make it impossible to manage the water and members no longer want to fish it.
Mike