A NEW Netflix documentary examining the environmental impact of intensive poultry farming has shone a national spotlight on concerns surrounding the River Wye and the Forest of Dean's chicken industry.

Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy, presented by comedian Mo Gilligan, explores the environmental and human costs of the global demand for cheap chicken, with the River Wye featuring as one of the UK's most high-profile examples of pollution linked to intensive farming.

Campaign group River Action welcomed the release, saying the programme highlights "one of the biggest hidden environmental stories of our time".

Amy Fairman, head of campaigns at River Action, said the documentary "connects the dots between the food on our plates and the health of our rivers" and raises questions about the impact of intensive poultry farming on waterways.

The documentary's release comes as the Government develops its Poultry Sector Growth Plan and follows a High Court ruling that quashed planning permission for a 200,000-bird poultry unit in Shropshire after judges found environmental impacts on the River Severn had not been properly assessed.

River Action has also launched a petition calling on ministers to halt further expansion of intensive poultry farming unless it can be shown to protect rivers and support environmentally sustainable food production.

The issue remains highly relevant in the Forest of Dean, where Avara Foods - whose supply chain includes around 250 poultry rearing units - is at the centre of an ongoing legal claim over pollution in the Rivers Wye, Lugg and Usk.

Avara Foods denies the allegations and says it is confident there is "no case to defend". The company argues the claim lacks scientific merit and maintains responsibility for manure management lies with independent farmers once it has been sold for use as fertiliser.