Celebs accuse Nando's of contributing to Wye pollution

A group of celebrities have written an open letter to restaurant chain Nando's asking for proof that it is not contributing to pollution in the River Wye.

Actor and river conservationist Jim Murray is one of the group that has signed the letter, which accuses one of the restaurant's suppliers of dumping waste into the river.

Murray said the restaurant must do more to prove its environmental credentials.

Nandos denies polluting the river and says its direct supplier has said that "no manure is spread, stored or otherwise disposed of" on any of the chicken farms it sources from.

Murray is part of a group of celebrities, including Jo Brand and Chris Packham, who this week signed the letter accusing the supplier of dumping waste into the river.

It claims that after local schoolchildren from schools along the river reached out to the restaurant chain about pollution from chicken farms along the Wye, Nando's deleted the webpage naming its suppliers.

A new page has since been created on the Nando's website stating: "We have one supplier in the Wye catchment area, and they have expressly assured us that no manure is spread, stored or otherwise disposed of on any of the chicken farms they source from."

But speaking to Caroline Martin on BBC Radio Gloucestershire's Weekend Breakfast Show, Murray claimed he had seen proof that farms supplying Nando's are causing pollution in the river, which starts in Wales and flows through Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.

"Large quantities of chicken sourced by Nando's comes from Avara Foods," he said.

"The waste from tens of millions of intensely-farmed chickens is finding its way directly into the catchment into the River Wye, causing massive algal blooms, destroying all aquatic life and pushing the river towards ecological collapse.

"It really is a destructive and avoidable practice."

Avara Foods is currently facing legal action over alleged pollution in the Wye from farms in Herefordshire and the Welsh borders.

Chicken manure contains high levels of phosphorous, which can lead to excessive growth of algae in waterways, starving the river of oxygen and killing fish.

The celebrities are calling on Nando's to help reshape the way that industrial farmers operate.

"They can hold their suppliers accountable, they can change their suppliers," added Murray.

"They can self-regulate where they buy for. They really do have an opportunity here to re-shape the whole supply chain, and that's what we're calling for."

Murray said the group of celebrities had chosen to call out Nando's as they believe the restaurant giant has a "unique" opportunity to take responsibility for their supply chain.

"Nando's are much-loved in this country and have a big customer base, a lot of young people, so they need to be educated and need to be made aware of where they are buying their chicken from.

"They're an obvious restaurant chain to go for because we also believe that they might turn around and actually start becoming part of the solution rather than the problem."

A spokesperson from Nando's said it cares passionately about the environment and that it will arrange an independent third-party audit into the pollution claims.

"We are not polluting the River Wye, and our supplier has assured us that no manure is spread, stored or otherwise disposed of on any of the chicken farms we source from," they added.

A spokesperson from Avara Foods said it would not comment publicly on any matters relating to the River Wye, due to the possibility of legal action.

However, the company has also said: "No manure is stored, spread or otherwise disposed on poultry farms that supply us, making accusations of 'pollution' hard to justify without evidence."

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