Farm Giant Coughs Up £11,000 After Toxic River Spill
A Cornwall farming firm has coughed up £11,000 following a nasty pollution scandal that blighted half a mile of the River Allen near St Tudy.
Pollution Triggers Penalty
Bodmin-based C.P. Button Ltd faced the cash penalty after toxic silage waste leaked from Polshea Farm in June 2022, poisoning precious aquatic life. Silage leachate – a deadly runoff from silage piles – is notorious for wreaking havoc on fish and river ecosystems.
This wasn’t a one-off: the firm also had a slurry pollution incident earlier that year at Bokelly Farm near Trelill in March.
Firm Invests in River Rescue
As part of a legal deal called an Enforcement Undertaking, C.P. Button Ltd handed over £8,000 to the Westcountry Rivers Trust. The charity will splash the cash on boosting habitats for migratory fish affected by the spill. Another £3,000 covered costs from the Environment Agency’s probe into the mess.
Environment Agency Welcomes Improvements
Jack Hale from the Environment Agency said:
“Our investigation and follow-up farm audit have driven big improvements, including drainage surveys and a covered silage clamp. More upgrades are planned to stop this happening again.”
He added that enforcement deals like this often deliver stronger environmental wins than traditional court battles, encouraging firms to take responsibility and fund local restoration work.
