The long-awaited planning application for a mega-dairy in Lincolnshire has now been re-submitted by Nocton Dairies. One major revision is that the number of cows in the proposal has been cut from 8,100 to 3,700 animals. On the one hand, this clearly shows the impact of our campaign against this dangerous proposed route for dairy farming. On the other hand, the proposed farm would still be nearly 40 times bigger than the average dairy herd in Britain! Worse the reduction in cow numbers is only temporary – the owners of Nocton Dairies have gone on record that they will build their herd up to 8,100 as soon as possible. These plans represent a massive industrialisation of the dairy industry that would effectively see cows throughout the country being taken out of fields and put into the factory farm.
I really fear that if we don’t stop this proposed mega-dairy now, it could well open the floodgates for others. And let’s be clear, industrialisation of dairying in this way threatens animal welfare and the countryside, will put hard-pressed family farms under even more pressure, and will undermine the integrity of our milk.
It is a matter of cruel irony that just at the moment that the pig, veal and poultry industries are becoming less intensive in the UK and Europe, the dairy sector is threatening to become more intensive. Compassion in World Farming has been, and will be, doing everything in our power to stop this proposal from being successful. Please help us to ensure that cows remain where they belong, in fields. Your support is needed, and so appreciated; now, more than ever.
Thank you.
This mega-dairy is following the bad example of such dairies in the usa where up to 50000
cows are kept indoors all the year round – effectively battery farms for cows. Thist prototype
should be banned and the eu prpoosal to ban all factory farming by 2012 should be upheld in this case. Apart from the hideous maltreatment of cows involved,there are huge adverse environment implications on the landscape and the atmosphere by no means compensated by proposals to burn the methane generated as green energy!!!.
[...] I’ve written before, the biggest change to the plans is that the dairy proposes to start with a lower number of cows, [...]
If you disagree with Nocton’s proposed ‘super dairy farming’, please go to:
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/factoryfarm#petition
and sign the petition which will be going to:
Tony McArdle, Chief Executive of Lincolnshire County Council, all councillors in Lincolnshire and North Kesteven District Council:
Deadline: 11th January 2011
46111 signatures so far and counting…