The UK High Court made a landmark decision on March 10, 2025, ruling that chicken manure must be classified as "waste". This decision came as a result of a legal challenge by the National Farmers' Union against Herefordshire County Council's Minerals and Waste Local Plan. The ruling has significant implications for the chicken industry, particularly in regions like the Wye Valley, where intensive chicken units have been linked to water pollution due to excessive phosphates from livestock manure leaching into waterways.

The judgment means that chicken producers in Herefordshire will now be required to submit detailed plans for managing and disposing of manure, including providing transparency on its destination and application. This ruling could set a precedent for similar rules to be implemented nationwide, potentially reshaping waste management practices in the UK's chicken industry and making it more difficult for animal agriculture to expand.