Today, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council’s planning committee voted against the planning application of the proposed two megafarm sites in Methwold and Feltwell.
The application was to house 14,000 pigs and 870,000 hens at linked locations which would have made it one of the largest megafarm in Europe.
Norfolk has already been dubbed the “megafarm capital of Europe” with statistics from Compassion in World Farming showing there are now 122 megafarms in the County and 25,748,309 factory farmed animals.
Terry Jermy MP, Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk, called it a “victory for local people and the environment.”
Jermy said, “I said from the beginning, no ifs, no buts, the megafarm should not go ahead and I am delighted that the application has been rejected.
“With over 15,000 objections and numerous of legal concerns raised based on environmental breaches this is an important victory.”
Formal objections to the application had been made by both Feltwell and Methwold Parish Councils and a whole range of other organisations as well as local residents.
Jake White, Head of Legal Advocacy at WWF, said, “This is a well-deserved win, not just for the environment but for the local community who united to oppose this unpopular, unlawful and unsustainable megafarm.
“We are delighted that the people of Methwold have got the result they wanted following the council’s robust consultation process.
“This case is clearly symbolic of broader issues at play across the UK. When considering the most sensible use of our limited land, we must prioritise protecting and restoring nature and supporting farmers to produce healthy, sustainable food. That’s why WWF is urgently calling for a new law – the Living Planet Act – to ensure the government takes a ‘joined-up’ approach to climate and nature action so landmark decisions such as today’s do not stand alone.”
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.
The effect of the proposed site’s impact on the climate has raised concerns because of the unknown quantity of carbon emissions and water quality degradation. Other worries are that the proposed plant would be placed near groundwater sources and the rare chalk streams in the area.
Jermy himself submitted a detailed objection in his capacity as the Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk and spoke at the council planning meeting.
He stated in his speech that the megafarm would have been a “blight the lives of local people and the environment for many years to come” and that “it is of particular note that despite having three years to provide all of the environmental mitigation evidence required, the applicant has failed to do so. This is either by design or more likely the fact that, quite simply, they are unable to do, so.”
Jermy previously wrote to the Environmental Agency last year to also highlight the issues saying that it would be “unnecessary and damaging pollution which will adversely affect people and biodiversity”.
