Alleged polluters in High Court

[Paul Bullinger]

I see that the alleged polluters of the River Wye are to appear in the High Court.
There is no doubt that the Wye is polluted, but how to prove who caused it is the tricky bit.
Be interesting to see how this plays out.
Any views of possibilities of a successful conviction??

 

[Alec Hague]

To me, the crux is that when chicken manure is disposed of, by the chicken farmers, what is the forcesble use. Seems indisputable it is for fertilisation. As such it's travels, pollutant capabilities must have been. known and effectively obvious. I expect them to use the gun manufacturers defence, they don't pull the trigger but there is a clear provable consequence.

 

[Paul Bullinger]

There will, undoubtedly, be a strong defence mounted by council for the chicken farms. However, as you say, they (the chicken farmers) must have known that millions of chickens produce millions of tons of waste, which when spread on fields will ALWAYS find its way into water courses.
If you take a step back and look at the ingredients of commercial chicken feed, you'll find that it contains (amongst other things) a liberal dose of antibiotics. Not all absorbed by the bird, the consequence of which, you've guessed it, it ends up in the Wye, or Lugg, or Usk.
Not good.

 

[Alec Hague]

The foreseeable nuisance issue is I suspect easy to establish, but it's the link to the actual polution which is happening. Legal dream. Lots of learned, honest experts contradicting each other. Sorry I retired from the law 40 years ago now. Ha.

 

[Alec Hague]

The foreseeable nuisance issue is I suspect easy to establish, but it's the link to the actual polution which is happening. Legal dream. Lots of learned, honest experts contradicting each other. Sorry I retired from the law 40 years ago now. Ha.