Sustain joins call to stop extension of Methwold factory farm

In an interview with BBC Radio Norfolk, Sustain climate manager Ruth Westcott explained what the proposed farm would mean and why the public should be concerned:

"This plan would be to to create one of the largest industrial livestock farms in Europe. These farms are described as farms, but actually they're more like industrial facilities. Grain is imported from overseas, then these animals are produced by being fattened up inside sheds, and then they're exported for slaughter outside the area. The waste from these farms needs to be dealt with, either by spreading it on local farms or carried out in the catchment. So these units are very, very wasteful and they produce lots of slurry and manure, and the thing that we're most concerned about is that they're a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. We think that they would contravene the local and national targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that are so needed."

Ruth Westcott continued:

"Even though the greenhouse gas emissions of this facility would be enormous, the council has judged that they wouldn't be significant. And that means that no detailed assessment has been done of the potential climate change impacts of this unit. That means that the public and the council simply can't understand how this would impact their community or what impact this would have on the climate strategy, and that includes things like flood risk and everything else that we know comes with climate change. We think that a proper greenhouse gas assessment is essential to the democratic process, because the public and the council are entitled to know what kind of impact this facility would have."

Greenhouse gas emissions from the proposed facility – which could produce up to 6 million chickens and 56,000 pigs a year in Methwold, Norfolk – are expected to be substantial. Sustain, alongside campaigning group Feedback have warned the Council that it is breaking the law by inexplicably leaving greenhouse gas emissions out of the scope of the planning application produced by the developer of the site, industrial meat producer Cranswick Plc.  

Sustain is urging the public to oppose the planning application. The council have asked for responses directly on the portal, but you can also email borough.planning@west-norfolk.gov.uk with suggested copy below. If you only have two minutes, you can use Feedback's template letter.

Example text for an objection letter:

I am writing to object to the planning application for the proposed intensive livestock facility near Methwold. This development raises significant concerns regarding its climate impact, pollution risks and economic consequences.

Climate Impact

The application fails to include a greenhouse gas emissions assessment, leaving the public and the council unable to evaluate its risks to legally-binding national and local climate targets. Sustain estimates the facility could emit 120,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent annually— nearly half the borough’s transport emissions and 30 times the council’s own emissions. This scale of emissions is incompatible with climate goals and directly contravenes the Climate Change Committee’s advice to reduce meat production and consumption to meet emissions reduction targets. The council's own website recommnds reducing meat and dairy consumption.

Pollution Risks

The proposed facility would produce hundreds of tonnes of waste each week, posing a threat to local rivers, air, and protected habitats. Methwold is already a livestock pollution hotspot, and further waste could exacerbate contamination.

Negative Economic Impacts

The facility offers no meaningful economic benefits to the local community. The applicant acknowledges there will be no significant increase in employment, and jobs in intensive livestock units is often low-paid, insecure, and dangerous. The intensification of livestock agriculture has been found to be reducing jobs in farming, and instead accumulating profits to large agribusinesses.

For these reasons, I urge the council to reject this planning application. Approving such a development would undermine local climate and economic strategies, while perpetuating a farming system that is unequal and damaging.