Campaigners say plans for 12 chicken sheds in Whaplode Drove is ‘health disaster waiting to happen’

Campaigners say a mega chicken farm proposal is a ‘health disaster waiting to happen’.

The Coalition Against Factory Farming (CAFF) is hoping others will join the fight to oppose Holbeach Poultry Ltd’s bid to put up 12 chicken sheds on land off Peartree Hill Road in Whaplode Drove.

If approved by South Holland District Council, the unit would house 552,120 birds with an annual output of 3,865,000 chickens. It is proposed to have seven crops a year.

But residents fear that the development could have a negative impact on the area due to ammonia and other pollutants along with raising concerns about the waste management plan.

Bini Pitwell, coordinator of the Coalition Against Factory Farming said: “We are saturated with factory farms with nearly 200 in Lincolnshire alone. At a time when farmers face droughts, failed crops and rising concerns over food security, diverting vast amounts of water and feed to intensive livestock operations while they pollute our land and water is unsustainable and short-sighted."

Campaigners have also raised concerns about bird flu risks being exacerbated by intensive farming methods in which birds are crowded together along with the environmental impact on local waterways.

The application, which was lodged in April, seeks permission to build 12 poultry houses which will each measure 80ft by 360ft. The buildings’ total foot print will be 345,600sqft and it is hoped that they will provide 50 years of ‘production space’.

Other infrastructure such as a new field access, vehicle parking, gas tanks, a dead bird building and 18 feed bins are also included within the application.

But nearby resident Julie Greenhill has raised fears about the impact of this development on roads and people’s lives.

She said: “Like many others, I made a home in this area expecting a good, healthy quality of life in beautiful, unspoilt nature. The prospect of a factory farm blighting the environment here is deeply worrying.

“I’m concerned about how thousands of tonnes of waste will be managed, the strain on our precious water supply, and the pollution risk to our local waterways. And local residents shouldn’t be forced to deal with the odour pollution from a megafarm.

“I’m concerned that the impact of HGV traffic on the already poor-quality local roads hasn’t been considered.

“Intensive farming on this scale also raises serious animal welfare issues - millions of birds should not be crammed into sheds together. This is a health disaster waiting to happen. The planned development completely opposes all the values that make this place special.”

Documents listed with the application state that there is an increasing demand for quality UK bred and reared chickens following Brexit along with concerns about food security and tariffs along with promises to employ four people.

CAFF is asking people to send in objections to the district council’s planning department before the deadline closes on July 4. The planning application reference is H23-0313-25 and can be found on the planning portal.

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