"US-style factory farms jeopardising our sustainability ambitions" says MP as almost 7,000 environmental breaches revealed

Following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Environment Agency by Terry Jermy MP, it has been revealed that intensive livestock farms across England have violated environmental regulations nearly 7,000 times between 2015 and 2025.  

The data also shows that the Environment Agency carried out approximately 17 inspections of intensive livestock units per week in which 75% of those inspections found breaches.  

During this time period, there were over 9,000 inspections at over 1,500 sites. Shockingly, when significant pollution incidents have been found, most result in no further significant action. For the most serious breaches (category 1 and 2), over half received either no further action, ‘advice/guidance’ or a ‘warning’, and staggeringly, less than half of the incidents recorded received further action such as a formal warning, and less than 1% received a ‘recommended’ prosecution.  

Terry Jermy MP, Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk, said

“These shocking numbers alongside the severity of the litany of offences clearly show that the huge increase to US-style factory farms since 2017 is harming our land and jeopardising our climate targets and sustainability ambitions moving forward.  

“In my constituency farming is our lifeblood, as is the environment, and therefore, we must have a serious conversation as to what kind of farming we need moving forwards. It must be one that protects our communities, agriculture and nature, while furthering animal welfare standards as well as harnessing food security.  

“We also need to protect local farmers and their production, ensuring nature-friendly farming can be at the heart of the government’s New Deal for Farmers and the review of farm profitability which are both currently under consultation, and support the rural economy and its growth.”  

Last month saw a water-shed ruling by King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council’s planning committee voting against the planning application of the proposed two megafarm sites in Methwold and Feltwell. The application was to house 14,000 pigs and 870,000 hens at linked locations which would have made it one of the largest megafarms in Europe.  

Norfolk has already been dubbed the “megafarm capital of Europe” with statistics from Compassion in World Farming showing there are now 122 megafarms in the county and 25,748,309 factory-farmed animals.  

Last week, an undercover investigation revealed the horrific abuse of animals at intensive livestock farm, Northmoor Farm in Lincolnshire, a supplier to the big supermarkets, resulting in Sainsbury's, Tesco and Morrisons suspending their supplies from the farm. Terry Jermy MP raised this very issue of the animal welfare abuses at Business Questions in Parliament and called for a debate on the matter. 

Ruth Westcott, Campaign Manager at Sustain said:

"These results are shocking. They show repeated, serious acts of pollution and polluters facing barely any consequences. Incidents reported include waste flowing into water courses, exceeding the allowed number of animals, leaking waste and pollution and building without consent. These incidents pose a risk to the health of local people, as well as our environment and animal welfare.

It's clear from the number of violations and their severity that the permitting and enforcement regime is not effective in preventing pollution, and this may go some way to explaining why so many UK rivers are in crisis.

We need an inspection regime that creates a culture of compiance, with the Environment Agency enforcing the rules properly. Licenses should be taken away from companies that are threatening our health and nature."