A plan to create one of Europe’s largest livestock farms, sparking 15,000 objections, is nearing its final decision. Cranswick’s plans to create a chicken and pig megafarm that will spread across the villages of Methwold and Feltwell is expected to come before planners early next year.
The final consultation period opened on 20 November, giving people 30 days to have their final say. Details below.
Methwold farm plan. Image by Google
The food giant has submitted its final statement to West Norfolk Council (WNC). Under the plans, 20 sheds will house 870,000 chickens, with 14 buildings for 14,000 pigs on land that was previously an RAF base. The site has been used for pig farming, but the plans represent a major expansion to create an area which will be around one-third the size of the O2 Arena.
Cranswick says it will be a “sustainable, modern farm” that will help deliver affordable produce, create jobs and boost the local economy. However, it has been met with continued backlash.
Since the application was first lodged two years ago, a flood of 15,000 objections submitted to WNC underscores the community’s fierce resistance. This follows various opposition campaigns being started by animal rights groups, including PETA. The CEO of Quorn, the vegetarian food giant which has a site in Methwold, also opposed the bid.
People living in the surrounding villagers have expressed their concerns about road safety and the potential for pollution being emitted from the site. It follows experiences from people living next to other Cranswick sites, such as at Stow Bedon, who have complained their health has been affected by a large pig farm.
Terry Jermy, Labour MP for South West Norfolk, has written an extensive letter of objection to the Environment Agency (EA) urging officials not to issue a permit for the farm. He said:
“I believe this will cause unnecessary and damaging pollution which will adversely affect people and biodiversity. At a time when it is critical to implement measures to improve the environment, it would be a travesty to permit this damaging development.”
The rise of megafarms in Norfolk has become a controversial topic among local farmers, although few are willing to speak publicly on the matter. Recent figures from the Environment Agency show there have been 32 applications for intensive farming sites in the county in the last three years.
The Norfolk MP has also joined others in questioning whether enough analysis has been conducted by Cranswick to properly assess the environmental impact of the farm.
Cranswick hopes to knock down the disused sheds and build 14 ‘pig finishing’ buildings at the site in Methwold. Image by Owen Sennitt, used with permission
Campaign groups have also claimed the plans lack information about how the scheme may affect the environment. International charity the World Wide Fund for Nature and climate action group Feedback and Sustain have both say the plans still fail to adequately assess the impact the farms will have.
Ruth Westcott, campaign manager at Sustain, said: “Industrial megafarms like this are completely unnecessary. As well as the unacceptable impact on the climate, family farmers say these kind of supply chains impose prices, trading terms, and insecurity that they can’t survive.”
Jake White, head of legal advocacy at the WWF, added: “The world’s food system is responsible for over a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The new environmental statement put forward by Cranswick is far from satisfactory on either legal or environmental grounds. The council must now insist that there is a proper assessment, failing which these applications must be refused.”
However, Cranswick insists it has made a “full analysis” of greenhouse gas emissions required for the application. A spokesman said: “We are satisfied that all of the necessary information has been included.”
Stow Bedon, a small village in Norfolk, has faced significant challenges since Cherry Tree Farm, operated by Cranswick, expanded in 2019. The farm, which grew its stock from 600 pigs to 7,000, has been the subject of over 380 odour-related complaints lodged with the Environment Agency (EA). The overwhelming ammonia smell has left many residents unable to enjoy daily life.
Ann Cuthbert, who lives near the farm, reported that the odour causes eye and lung irritation and even affects the taste of food. Another resident, Tessa Fitzgerald, said the stench occasionally causes her windpipe to feel irritated, particularly when the wind blows in the farm’s direction. “It’s not just a normal country smell – it’s overwhelming and harmful.”
The EA has documented multiple permit breaches at the farm, including unapproved building modifications and excessive ammonia emissions, leading to enforcement notices. While Cranswick claims to have taken corrective measures, such as extending chimneys and revising manure spreading practices, residents argue that these changes have done little to resolve the core issues.
For Hannah Reed, chair of the local parish council, the battle has been frustrating. “We’ve exhausted every avenue, but the health and well-being of residents continue to be affected,” she said.
This situation highlights the potential risks of megafarms, particularly when their scale overwhelms local infrastructure and environmental safeguards. Cranswick insists it operates within legal parameters, but for many in Stow Bedon, the impact on residents’ health and quality of life has been profound.
The experiences of this small Norfolk village serve as a stark reminder of the potential consequences that communities like Methwold and Feltwell may face if Cranswick’s new megafarm plans are approved.
One local farmer, Brian Harrison, of College Farm in Methwold, shared his fears in a letter of objection to WNC. He said: “The effect of siting what will be one of the UK’s largest chicken farms and increasing pig production on the site surely can’t be justified on environmental grounds.” He warned that there could be bio-security issues from the site, worrying it could: “Destroy our means of making a living.”
Rebecca Mayhew, a farmer based near Bungay, knows the risk of disease for intensive farming all too well. Her family’s herd of pigs at Royal Oak Farm were decimated after a disease outbreak, prompting a decision to downsize and take a more environmentally friendly approach to farming. She said: “Big farms like that are accidents waiting to happen. Disease can spread like wildfire. We have a £2m pig shed sitting empty as we will not farm like that again.”
However, there is growing demand for cheaper food, which firms like Cranswick are able to produce.
Mrs Mayhew added: “These bigger companies are trying to take out the middleman and control every part of the supply chain.” This helps protect the firm against the fluctuating price of produce such as milk and fresh meat, which is putting huge pressure on smaller-scale farmers’ profits, she added.
Despite the backlash, the National Farmers Union has previously defended intensive farming. It said: “British farmers produce affordable food, to some of the highest animal welfare and environmental standards in the world. They also adhere to strict production and biosecurity standards.”
WNC has said it is expected that the application will go before the planning committee early in the new year. It is expected to be one of the biggest decisions in recent history in west Norfolk due to the level of opposition that has mounted against it.
There are two separate applications for the chicken and pig farms.
Reference numbers:
- Feltwell application (pigs): 22/00860/FM.
- Methwold application (poultry): 22/00866/FM.
You can find the applications by visiting online.west-norfolk.gov.uk/online-applications.
A council spokeswoman has urged people wishing to comment on the application to do so via its planning portal on its website, rather than email. People can comment directly on the portal, which are immediately displayed and added to the application. This is much quicker than submitting letters and emails and will avoid lengthy delays to comments appearing on the portal, as letters must be scanned and uploaded. With only 25 days left to comment, residents are urged to voice their concerns before it’s too late.
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