Dame Joanna Lumley and Chris Packham are among the celebrities who have accused Nando’s of “killing” British rivers.
The stars, including Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and Dominic West, have demanded that the restaurant chain clean up its supply chain and address its contribution to severe river pollution.
In an open letter to the food chain’s CEO Mark Standish, they said: “Millions of Brits have shared countless “cheeky Nando’s” moments. Nando’s is a British icon—which is exactly why we need to talk. Your chicken is killing our rivers.
“The Wye used to be one of Britain’s most beautiful rivers. Now? It’s turning into a brown, lifeless mess – killing wildlife, destroying habitats, and even making local children sick after swimming.
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“The culprit? Pollution from factory farms that supply chicken to major restaurant chains like you.”
The River Wye, in Herefordshire, is highly polluted by manure flowing into its rivers from millions of factory-farmed chickens in the area.
Chicken manure contains high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen, making it a good fertiliser for crops.
However, the nutrients can lead to excessive growth of algae in waterways, starving the river of oxygen and killing fish.
The group claim in their letter, backed by River Action, The Rivers Trust, Friends of the Wye, and the Angling Trust, that Nandos’ suppliers are contributing to the ecological destruction.
A spokeswoman for Nando’s said: “We care passionately about the environment and having a positive impact. We have a water policy in place for all our chicken suppliers.
“We will meet with River Action and we are happy to discuss with them how this might be further improved.
“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. We will be conducting an independent third-party audit to provide further assurances.”