The Environment Agency (EA) has refused a permit for a controversial application to install a new pig unit by Wayland Farms Limited at a site near Methwold.
The proposal was rejected by the EA due to the “predicted ammonia emissions” which are likely to have an “adverse effect and likely to damage the Breckland Special Protection Area (SPA)”.
This has been welcomed by the Cranswick Objection Group and Terry Jermy, the Member of Parliament for the area.
A recent Freedom of Information request showed that industrial-scale farms in East Anglia have violated environmental standards more than 700 times in the last seven years. This means between 2017 and 2024, there were at least two breaches per week, or approximately ten per month. Wayland Farms Ltd breached environmental permit regulations at least 90 times according to the data.
Terry Jermy MP, Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk, said that this decision highlighted the need for a conversation about the future of farming and the environment. In November 2024 Jermy submitted a detailed objection to the licence application, warning of the risk of ammonia pollution affecting the Breckland SPA, and in January this year objected to the planning application which was then unanimously refused by the planning committee of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council.
“In Norfolk our environment is our economy. We have seen similar applications over the past few years from large food producers who are proposing sites that will be detrimental to our environment. As an MP this will always be a red line for me, and I am glad the Environment Agency has done its job, otherwise this would have blighted the lives of local people and the environment for many years to come.
“Sustainable farming is important for our economy and our food security. We need to work with constituents, family farms and others to make sure this is a place for jobs but ones that improve animal welfare as well as preserving our environment.”
