Controversial scheme to build 2.7 million chicken farm near Ripon 'poses health risks' claim residents
Protesters and residents have gathered to oppose a huge new factory farm in a Ripon village which would rear 2.7 million chickens a year.
A series of objections had previously been lodged with North Yorkshire Council over the plans for the mega chicken farm in Melmerby which members of Communities Against Factory Farming claim would damage the local environment.
A public meeting held this week in Melmerby was attended by more than 50 local residents who voiced concerns about the potential impact of the mega farm on air quality, as well as animal welfare and the environment.
Chris Lay, 71, a retired Business Intelligence Director, who lives in Melmerby, said: “One glaring issue is the closeness of the site to the A1(M).
"Putting a mega chicken farm, which would emit thousands of tonnes of ammonia gas each year, next to a busy road would create a toxic chemical cocktail.
"The resulting plumes could cause or exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.”
The controversy was triggered by a planning application by Forest Poultry Ltd to build six 126m (413ft) units which would house up to 360,000 birds at any one time to supply broiler chickens for the UK market.
In the application, planning consultant Harrison Pick, acting for Forest Poultry Ltd, said the sheds would be built alongside a plant room, feed bins, a gatehouse, gas tanks, three dirty water tanks, a clean water storage tank, and a sign-in building.
According to Harrison Pick, the proposed development "represents a sustainable and policy-compliant form of agricultural development within a suitable rural location".
The scheme also includes car parking, a back-up generator, concrete service aprons, and drainage infrastructure in the form of infiltration basins.
But opponents of the proposals at this week’s public meeting at Melmerby, which is located three miles from Ripon, claim the proposed mega farm poses public health risks.
Residents also expressed concern about the waste from 2.7 million chickens potentially washing into local waterways, especially given the poor health of the River Ure.
The proposed mega farm is close to Salmist Beck Carr, a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation.