“Your chicken is killing our rivers”: Extinction Rebellion BCP join with River Action UK to shine a light on the environmental impact of Nando’s chicken
The River Wye, once voted the UK’s favourite river, is on the brink of ecological collapse due to pollution primarily caused by intensive farming. Tens of millions of chickens are factory-farmed in the region, whose waste is poisoning local waterways and destroying vital wildlife habitats. Despite Nando’s insisting that ‘sustainability isn’t just a buzzword’, their supply chain is part of this environmental disaster.
In the same week that a group of high-profile figures – celebrities, musicians, comedians, and campaigners such as Paul Whitehouse, Jo Brand, Joanna Lumley, Chris Packham, Liz Bonnin, George Monbiot, Johnny Flynn, Dominic West, Jim Murray, and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall – united to pressure Nando’s to take responsibility for its environmental impact, Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (XR BCP) have taken action locally. They are calling on the restaurant giant to clean up its supply chain and tackle its contribution to severe river pollution.
In their action on Sunday, XR BCP, in solidarity with environmental groups River Action, The Rivers Trust, Friends of the Wye, and the Angling Trust, have challenged Nando’s sustainability credentials, citing their links with suppliers that are “killing our rivers”.
XR BCP’s demonstration targeted the Nando’s branch in Bournemouth’s BH2 complex. Protestors held placards with the legend NANDO’S: YOUR CHICKEN IS KILLING OUR RIVERS, whilst others engaged passersby, explaining why they were taking action and giving out leaflets. Drummers from XR BCP Rhythms provided an appropriately rebellious soundtrack, whilst activists chanted, “Nando’s, your chicken is killing our rivers! “ It’s not cheeky – just stop! What the cluck?!”
XR BCP’s demand is simple: Nando’s must do for river protection what they did with their Better Chicken Commitment. They’re calling on the restaurant chain to design and implement a sector-leading plan to protect Britain’s rivers in their sustainability policy; no more PR speak, just real action.
Daniel Glennon, a customer service professional from Bournemouth explained why XR BCP had taken action against Nandos “The Wye Valley’s chicken population has nearly doubled in just ten years, so there are now an incredible seventy-nine chickens for every person in the region. Nando’s suppliers run more than one hundred factory farms around the Wye alone and these companies produce 7,800 tonnes of waste every single day – much of this waste ends up in the Wye and is killing all life in the river.”
Kathy Chambers, retired and also from Bournemouth, said, “We’ve become very aware of the impact of sewage pollution on the UK’s rivers, but almost no one is talking about the impact of run-off from animal agriculture. Chicken waste is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, which makes it a great fertiliser but also incredibly damaging to rivers, causing algal blooms that effectively starve the river and its inhabitants of oxygen.”
Liz Brereton, a counsellor from Bournemouth, added, “We’ve had a great reaction from people today – it’s clear that the public really care about our rivers. We have two beautiful rivers running through our region and they are also suffering from the impact of farm run-off, although thankfully not to the same extent as the River Wye. We’re not asking for people to boycott Nando’s – we hope that they will use their visit to ask Nando’s to source their chicken in a more sustainable way.”
Adam Osman, a forest school teacher from Poole, concluded, “Today we’re asking Nando’s to be part of the solution, not the problem. As a major buyer from some of the UK’s biggest chicken farms, they are in a position to send a powerful message.”
The coalition of environmental groups is calling on Nando’s to back up its words with real action, demanding immediate transparency and concrete steps to protect the environment. Their open letter—available for download here—urges the company to honour its advertised values and take meaningful responsibility for its supply chain’s impact.
