LABOUR plans to relax planning regulations for farmers could further fuel devastating river pollution across the country, campaigners warned today.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed told the Oxford Farming Conference on Thursday that planning rules had “got in the way for too long,” as he attempted to win back support from farmers following Labour’s changes to the inheritance tax.

He vowed to “speed up the system” so farmers can “diversify” and build larger chicken sheds. 

But River Action CEO James Wallace warned that the plans are “paving the way for industrial-scale poultry operations to proliferate.”

Campaigners argue that factory chicken farms have already contributed to the ecological collapse of the River Wye. 

The group is currently pursuing legal action over pollution, which it says is caused by chicken manure.

Counties surrounding the river are currently home to industrial-scale farms containing 44 million birds.

Mr Wallace blasted the government’s “reckless approach to planning” which he said “threatens to devastate wildlife and river health nationwide.”

He said: “At the very least, the government must implement stringent environmental protections to mitigate the damage caused by factory farms. 

“But make no mistake, we will not hesitate to hold the new government to account if the law is ignored or enforcement abandoned. 

“Relaxing these planning rules without simultaneously implementing rigorous environmental protections is not only short-sighted — it risks causing irreversible harm to our rivers, wildlife, and future generations.”

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has been contacted for comment.