ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners marched through Chepstow this week to highlight the impact of the egg industry on river pollution.

The group marched to the Tesco supermarket in the town.

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Tesco, the campaigners claim, are the largest customer of the main egg and poultry producers based in the Wye area.

The group are calling on the supermarket giant to work to raise standards within the industry.

Also the target of condemnation from the protestors was Happy Eggs and parent firm Noble Foods - which they say are "one of the biggest polluters of the Wye".

Leading the march, environmentalist and long-time campaigner for water quality in the area, Angela Jones said: "There's so much talk but nothing is happening. So I’ve gone down the shaming route. Taking on the big retail giants.

"Tesco say they are working to plant trees but it’s not good enough. They can bring change.

"They need to act.

"I won’t stop, there’s too much to lose.

South Wales Argus:

"I don’t get a penny for this. I don’t want to have to do this, but I do it because I have to do it.

"Everybody can play their part."

The group marched through the town to the Tesco store and gathered at the riverside, near the town's bandstand.

They carried banners and placards emblazoned with messages such as 'Save the Wye' and 'Go chicken-less'.

South Wales Argus:

They also carried a mock-up of a Happy Eggs carton which, instead, was labelled 'Crappy Eggs'.

A Tesco spokesperson said: “Protecting and maintaining water quality and biodiversity in our supply chains is an important priority within our supplier partnerships, and we’re committed to playing our part in ensuring the protection of the River Wye, alongside other actors across the food industry.

“Together with our partners WWF, we have directly funded the work of the Wye & Usk Foundation to tackle water pollution in the area.

"They work directly with our suppliers on implementing nature-based solutions, including tree planting, as well as supporting farmers to test soils and implement on-farm best practice that all help reduce pollution in the River Wye.

“We continue to engage with suppliers and stakeholders across all agricultural sectors in the region as part of the Wye Agri-Food Partnership and have encouraged all of our suppliers to sign up to the Water Roadmap as part of the Courtauld Commitment 2030, which looks to reduce water pollution in key sourcing regions, including the Wye & Usk catchment.”

A Noble Foods spokesperson said: "We take our commitment to the environment very seriously.

"In the Wye & Usk region, Noble Foods represents a low, single-digit percentage of the total poultry flock population.

"But we understand the role we play in leading our industry, so are working closely with our producers, together with the Wye & Usk Foundation, on several initiatives to reduce environmental impact.

"We want to work together with other producers and organisations in this area to help drive significant, sustainable improvement in the Wye & Usk region.”