West Norfolk mega farm - xxxxxxxxx

[Widgetone]

So Private Eye talking about advanced planning for this - 870,000 poultry, 12,000 pigs.
( Somebody could post the piece please? )

Locals thinking it will go through, and has the potential backing of the local MP ( a certain Ms Truss ).

 

[jackrussell101]

If the public and supermarkets keep wanting cheap food then this is what they'll get I'm afraid

 

[Hilly]

If the public and supermarkets keeping wanting cheap food then this is what they'll get I'm afraid

There is nothing more to say really.

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

Here is some outrage from the Dally Mall, featuring a load of old women who probably smell of cat wee.

Villagers hit out at plan to build 'mega-farm' with 870,000 chickens

Up to 870,000 chickens and 14,000 pigs will be housed just 400 yards apart at the site, which was once used as a World War II airfield.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[deleted user 837354]

So long as such places are surrounded by thousands of acres of arable land to get rid of the manure adequately without poisoning the entire area, I don't have a huge issue with it although I would question is this really where we want the food chain to be going?

 

[delilah]

Here is some outrage from the Dally Mall, featuring a load of old women who probably smell of cat wee.

Villagers hit out at plan to build 'mega-farm' with 870,000 chickens

Up to 870,000 chickens and 14,000 pigs will be housed just 400 yards apart at the site, which was once used as a World War II airfield.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Those furious villagers need asking where they do their shopping.

Pleased to see a way has been found to get round the swear filter, just type xxxxxxxxx in the subject header

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

Cheap food is a vote-winner, and always will be.

As long as we have a government made up of politicians (who rely on winning votes every four years) cheap food will be the objective.

No politician is going to be the turkey that votes for Christmas and point out that if food costs more, standards of production can be lifted.

Food inflation/deflation has been in the news in the last couple of days, occasionally there are stories about animal welfare and run-off pollution, but very rarely does the media join the dots and recognise that the two go hand in glove.

Obviously the influence of big retailers needs to be acknowledged, as massive employers they seem to find it easier to attract the ear of the government than any producers' organisations ever will.

 

[teslacoils]

Can't see the problem. It's not like we force folk to write in copper plate, and use abacus and slide rules. Progress means more out of less. I'd be interested to see if there was a correlation between welfare and unit size. Obvs for some "welfare" means no animals at all, so forget them.

 

[Widgetone]

Confess to be being mildly surprised that people seem unconcerned about an enterprise this large.
Small farm model must be busted, or have folk given in to the corporates...

Edit - I don't know a huge amount about this sector, but are most of the more modest farms one sees in East Anglia already under corporate control and just B&B operations?

 

[Suffolk Serf]

Confess to be being mildly surprised that people seem unconcerned about an enterprise this large.
Small farm model must be busted, or have folk given in to the corporates...

Edit - I don't know a huge amount about this sector, but are most of the more modest farms one sees in East Anglia already under corporate control and just B&B operations?

Yes, very few pig operations around East Anglia are not now B and B operations under corporate control. Me included- albeit for a privately owned Yorkshire firm.
It’s unlike me to defend the dreaded C word, but here goes (holding my nose)- the sites that they are planning to build on are redevelopments of sites that have been in intensive pig production since the 1970’s under the corporate ownership of Breckland Farms Ltd. The buildings are now or were (not sure if they’ve been knocked down) very tired indeed and it’s refreshing that they’re not going to be turned into business lets/storage/or try for residential.

 

[delilah]

Can't see the problem. It's not like we force folk to write in copper plate, and use abacus and slide rules. Progress means more out of less. I'd be interested to see if there was a correlation between welfare and unit size. Obvs for some "welfare" means no animals at all, so forget them.

Whilst there may not be any problems, there is a long list of issues. Top of that list for me , if I may be selfish, it's another nail in the coffin of our business.

 

[delilah]

Confess to be being mildly surprised that people seem unconcerned about an enterprise this large.

People are concerned, it's just that the Daily Wail and it's outraged readers aren't even close to understanding.

 

[deleted user 837354]

Confess to be being mildly surprised that people seem unconcerned about an enterprise this large.
Small farm model must be busted, or have folk given in to the corporates...

Edit - I don't know a huge amount about this sector, but are most of the more modest farms one sees in East Anglia already under corporate control and just B&B operations?

There is surely not a man on this forum who genuinely thinks massive chicken units, massive cow or pig units are a great idea. Not if they are honest about it. Who the heck lies in bed and dreams of 5 acres of concrete and about 2 million tonnes of slurry or manure to have to get rid of a year, let alone the planning bit? Most people would sooner operate a more modest livestock setup, surely and have an easier life?

As I said, on principle I have no big concern for the proposed development in the OP but it's a commercial venture in my eyes, not a farm and in the longer term may well be where the rest of the industry is headed. That's an inevitable result of allowing producers to have not much margin per unit produced.

 

[deleted user 837354]

Can't see the problem. It's not like we force folk to write in copper plate, and use abacus and slide rules. Progress means more out of less. I'd be interested to see if there was a correlation between welfare and unit size. Obvs for some "welfare" means no animals at all, so forget them.

It would be interesting to know what sort of labour requirements these things might have, would it be lower than the rest of the industry in general? Finding livestock labour must be very difficult in some areas of the country now?

 

[teslacoils]

It would be interesting to know what sort of labour requirements these things might have, would it be lower than the rest of the industry in general? Finding livestock labour must be very difficult in some areas of the country now?

Finding non family livestock labour to work in mud all year for pennies, Vs a mega farm with decent prospects, pay and conditions. I know where I'd go. Idealistic to think we will go back to making anything but hobby income from ten sucklers etc.

 

[Pan mixer]

Yes, very few pig operations around East Anglia are not now B and B operations under corporate control. Me included- albeit for a privately owned Yorkshire firm.
It’s unlike me to defend the dreaded C word, but here goes (holding my nose)- the sites that they are planning to build on are redevelopments of sites that have been in intensive pig production since the 1970’s under the corporate ownership of Breckland Farms Ltd. The buildings are now or were (not sure if they’ve been knocked down) very tired indeed and it’s refreshing that they’re not going to be turned into business lets/storage/or try for residential.

I was about to say that, I worked for Breckland pre-college in 1978-9 and the Methwold site I think had about 2000 sows in tired buildings at that time although I worked at Bradenham at the Gibbet Farm (a friendly name that) where we had all new Paul Frost buildings which have now been empty and derelict for years.

 

[Suffolk Serf]

I was about to say that, I worked for Breckland pre-college in 1978-9 and the Methwold site I think had about 2000 sows in tired buildings at that time although I worked at Bradenham at the Gibbet Farm (a friendly name that) where we had all new Paul Frost buildings which have now been empty and derelict for years.

Gibbet went on to become an illegal cannabis farm.

 

[Badshot]

Gibbet went on to become an illegal cannabis farm.

Diversification at it's most intense

 

[Suffolk Serf]

Diversification at it's most intense

Not too sharp if you get 18 months for it (as the owner of the site did).

 

[Boysground]

I was going in the pub last night chatting about the drive to lower food prices often leaving farmers with little profit and little to invest.
The most significant comment of the evening was “people expect to pay more for a coffee than a chicken “ that is the problem with society and it should change but never will.

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