Labour yet to reappoint river champion tasked with cleaning up the Wye

The government’s first river tsar has been dropped after the general election, and Labour has yet to confirm that it will reinstate the role.
Anthea McIntyre was appointed champion for the Wye in April. Her role was a centrepiece of the government’s action plan to clean up the river.
The river runs across the Welsh-English border. Much of its catchment is in Powys and Herefordshire, and it was once famous for Atlantic salmon. In addition to sewage spills, it has been suffering nutrient pollution from the “manure mountain” created by millions of chickens farmed in the area. Last year, the river’s ecological status was officially downgraded.
McIntyre, a former councillor for Ross-on-Wye, had no special powers or authority over chicken farmers, but was expected to play a convening role and develop pilot projects. One of her tasks was to restore the river to “favourable” ecological conditions, up from its present “unfavourable-declining” rating.
The Times, which has been calling for improvements in water quality with its Clean It Up campaign, has now learnt that her contract was terminated with the dissolution of parliament when Rishi Sunak called an election.
Steve Reed, the environment secretary, has made cleaning up polluted rivers one of his priorities, and announced reforms of the water sector within days of taking office. However, he has yet to announce whether he will restore the river champion role, or consider whether McIntyre or another person might take it.
“They are very keen to solve environmental issues and cleaning up rivers is top of their list,” McIntyre said. Despite being a former Tory MEP, she said the role was not party political and she had been building momentum when her contract was ended. “I would still very much like to do it,” she said.
Jamie Audsley, chief executive of the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, said: “The Wye catchment is an iconic landscape, hugely important for biodiversity due to its wide range of rare river wildlife, loved by people and important for farming.”
He said that not only had the river champion’s contract been terminated, but the River Wye action plan was “on hold”. Saving the Wye would need an integrated cross-border ten-year plan, he said.
In the meantime, the number of chickens in the catchment continues to grow. Across Powys, Shropshire and Herefordshire, there are now 51 million birds captive in intensive poultry units, according to analysis by CPRW, the Welsh countryside charity.
Dr Alison Caffyn, a campaigner on intensive poultry farming, said: “Poultry in Powys, Shropshire and Herefordshire now contribute 10 to 12 times as much manure within the Wye and Severn catchments as sewage from the human populations of the three counties. And yet poultry numbers have been allowed to grow without regard to the cumulative pollution impacts.”
One avenue campaigners are pursuing is a legal claim brought by the law firm Leigh Day against Tesco’s main chicken supplier, Avara Foods, which sources much of its meat from the catchment. Leigh Day argues that the food company has caused historical damage to the Wye and surrounding land. Last month, lawyers sent Avara a letter before action, the first stage in a civil suit.
A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “The level of pollution in the River Wye is unacceptable. That’s why this government is introducing its first steps to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.
“We continue to work with the Welsh government to assess the best way forward on the River Wye and collaborate with partners to co-ordinate local action, influence the right changes on the ground and improve the river’s health.”
The Times is demanding faster action to improve the country’s waterways. Find out more about the Clean It Up campaign.