Industrial chicken farm. Credit: Lucian Coman: Shutterstock
Lawyers representing WWF have called elements of the planning application for one of the UK’s largest industrial livestock facilities "unlawful."
Industrial chicken farm. Credit: Lucian Coman: Shutterstock
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) submitted a letter to West Norfolk and King’s Lynn Borough Council, alleging that a proposal submitted by food giant Cranswick did not fully consider the environmental damage likely to result from the units.
The complex, which would span Methwold and Feltwell, proposes to house up to 14,000 pigs and 870,000 chickens, which would make it one of the largest in Europe. WWF argue that critical factors including greenhouse gas emissions, how waste will be managed, and upstream emissions from deforestation linked to animal feed were improperly excluded from the environmental impact assessment.
Following a legal ruling in June, the full operational and indirect GHG emissions (ie including Scope 1, 2 and 3) should be set out in the environmental impact assessment and factured into the decision about whether the development should go ahead. Ruth Westcott, Climate and Nature Emergency Manager for Sustain said:
"As we outlined in our letter to the council in 2023 - this proposal would have significant impacts on the climate and nature and it is completely unacceptable that the corporation behind this application, Cranswick, haven't come clean about the impacts on the environment. They are hiding the truth from council decisionmakers and the public. As the ruling in June noted, transparancy on the full climate impact of a proposal is essential to the validity of a planning decision. Witholding this information is thwarting the informed, inclusive and democratic process that the public are entitled to."
The Committee on Climate Change recommends a 20% reduction in meat and dairy consumption by 2030 and a 35% reduction in meat consumption by 2050 to meet our climate goals.
The council have set out a deadline of the end of October 2024 to the applicant to submit a revised proposal and impact assessment. The public can then share their views via the council's planning portal.
Climate Change and Nature: Sustain has taken a keen interest in the rapidly accumulating evidence about the effect of food and farming on climate change and nature, as scientific evidence emerges that our food system is a very significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss.
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