Chicken factory farm opposed over foul smell fears

1 hour ago

Julia BrysonYorkshire

News image — The plans include building six units, each housing about 60,000 birds at a time

Getty Images A brown chicken with a red crest and piercing yellow eyes looks at the camera. Other birds are out of focus in the background. — The plans include building six units, each housing about 60,000 birds at a time

Plans to build a large factory farm capable of rearing 2.7m chickens a year are being opposed over fears it will lead to air pollution and foul odours.

Forest Poultry Ltd has applied to build six 126m (413ft) units which would house up to 360,000 birds at any one time on land in Melmerby, near Ripon.

In a planning application submitted to North Yorkshire Council it said the sheds at the site to the north of Underlands Lane would supply broiler chickens for the UK market.

Several objections have been lodged with the council and a public meeting has been organised in Melmerby to discuss the plans on 9 June.

In the application, planning consultant Harrison Pick, acting for Forest Poultry Ltd, said the sheds would be built alongside a plant room, feed bins, a gatehouse, gas tanks, three dirty water tanks, a clean water storage tank, and a sign-in building.

The scheme also includes car parking, a back-up generator, concrete service aprons, and drainage infrastructure in the form of infiltration basins.

It said each poultry house would accommodate approximately 60,000 birds, resulting in a total capacity of 360,000 birds across the site.

Harrison Pick Ltd A proposed elevation plan of one of the chicken sheds, which is a long shed coloured olive green. — The units, which would be coloured olive green, are 126m (413ft) long

According to Harrison Pick, the proposed development "represents a sustainable and policy-compliant form of agricultural development within a suitable rural location".

The consultant said the scheme "supports economic growth, enhances domestic food production, and incorporates a range of environmental and sustainability measures".

A meeting to discuss the plans is due to take place next week at Melmerby and Middleton Quernhow Village Hall, organised by Communities Against Factory Farming (CAFF).

It said the farm would create odours, noise and dust, and increase lorry traffic to the area. It also said it would damage countryside views and reduce property values in the area.

Objections from members of the public include comments about the noise which the site may produce, and the possibility of "ammonia and other smells being extracted from 360,000 birds in an enclosed space".

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