Villagers meet super dairy bosses

Villagers have finally met representatives of a company behind an 8,000-cow dairy herd planned for rural Lincolnshire.

Doors opened at Nocton village hall on Monday (15 March) just hours after organisers said a public event scheduled for the same evening had been cancelled.

If approved, the £50m super dairy will be home to 8100 cows, producing 250,000 litres of milk daily and employing 85 staff.

The public meeting was cancelled following concern that protesters would target the event.

But bosses at Nocton Dairies, the company behind the super dairy, said they still wanted to meet local villagers.

The community is divided over the dairy proposals.

Supporters claim the plan will boost the rural economy in an area where decent jobs can be hard to find.

But detractors highlight fears about animal welfare and the impact on the environment.

A Nocton Dairies spokesman said the company was still keen to meet local residents face-to-face to explain its plans.

More than 600 comments – most of them negative – have been posted on the website of the local authority considering the planning application.

Officials at North Kesteven District Council are expected to give their decision on the proposals by 3 May.

Similar to large dairy farms in the USA and Saudi Arabia, the Lincolnshire unit has already been more than two years in the making.

The planning application alone cost more than £160,000 and involved numerous trans-Atlantic trips.

Share your thoughts on the proposed development – and see what others are saying – on our forums.