Avalanche of objections to Lincolnshire super dairy

Almost 66,000 people have signed a petition against the proposed 3770-cow dairy near Nocton in Lincolnshire, according to campaign group 38 degrees.

The organisation intends to submit the document to North Kesteven District Council on 11 January, the deadline for the consultation on Nocton Dairies’ plans to create the UK’s biggest dairy farm.

38 degrees, named after the angle which triggers an avalanche, is a UK non-profit political activism organisation whose founders include Gordon Roddick, co-founder of The Body Shop, and Henry Tinsley, ex-chairman of Green & Black’s chocolate.

Since its launch in 2009 it has campaigned on a diverse range of issues, including climate change, child poverty and political reform.

On its website is states: “It would be a disaster to let these US-style factory farms come to the UK. These plans are bad for cows, bad for climate change, and bad for local farmers. There would be an increased risk of disease spreading, and the huge amount of waste that the cows produce can create real problems for the farm’s neighbours. And smaller, traditional dairy farmers could be put out of business.”

The support claimed by the organisation dwarfs the 1550 objections listed on the council’s website by Monday midday, although many more are reported to have been received but not yet listed.

Plans have toured the county to enable Lincolnshire residents to consider and comment on the proposals and are currently at Metheringham Village Hall until the 11 January deadline.

A decision on the application by Nocton Dairies, founded by dairy farmers Peter Willes and David Barnes, is expected in March.

If successful, the £34m development at Nocton Heath would be fully operational for 3770 cows by the end of 2012, employing 60 people.

A spokesperson for Nocton Dairies said: “We’ve been concerned throughout about misinformation and scaremongering from those opposing the plan. However people want to portray it, this is simply a farm, albeit bigger than we are used to in Britain.
 
“Of course concerns are important, but they have to be pertinent and based on the planning application. We also understand from the council that numbers of objections are not relevant – it’s material planning considerations that count.”
 
Animal welfare, while of critical importance, did not come under planning, she added. “However, we have submitted detailed information about how the cows will be managed.”