February 5, 2024

Plans for Wales, UK chicken farms await ministerial action after year-long pause

Plans for the establishment of 12 chicken farms in Powys, Wales, UK, are still in limbo, awaiting a decision nearly a year after the Welsh government imposed a pause on the applications, Wales Farmer reported.

The pause, initiated by "holding directions", was announced between January and March last year, allowing the Welsh government's Minister for Climate Change, Julie James, to contemplate taking control of the decision-making process by calling in the applications.

The move came after some of the applications had been pending with Powys County Council for several years, with one gaining approval from the council's planning committee in February 2023. This intervention by the Welsh government has added a layer of complexity to the planning process, causing uncertainty for the proposed chicken farms.

Powys has earned the moniker of the chicken farm capital of the UK in the last decade, with over 150 applications for chicken farms, encompassing both meat production and egg-laying poultry units. Despite substantial local opposition and appeals for a moratorium on applications, the county has seen a consistent approval trend since 2015.

Calls for a moratorium aimed to facilitate a comprehensive investigation into the cumulative impact of chicken farms and potential pollution issues. However, the planning process continued, drawing attention to concerns from local communities.

A spokesperson from the Welsh government said that Welsh ministers are currently considering requests to call in all poultry-related planning applications in Powys.

The spokesperson said holding directions have been issued to prevent the granting of planning permission, and the directions do not prevent the local planning authority from undertaking consultations or refusing the applications.

Highlighting the Welsh ministers' concerns about the impact of chicken farms on river health and pollution, the spokesperson emphasized that individual planning applications' effects could not be commented upon to avoid prejudicing any future decisions and potential legal proceedings.

-        Wales Farmer