Shropshire braces for "chicken megafarm" battle as residents and industry clash

The controversy comes as the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) calls on its members nationwide to actively counter what it describes as "activist opposition" to such developments.

At the heart of the current storm are two planning applications: the Manor Farm Intensive Poultry Unit in Sheriffhales, proposing to house 1.2 million birds annually, currently under consideration by Shropshire Council; and Willoughbridge Lodge Farm near Market Drayton, seeking to house 70,000 birds per cycle, being reviewed by Newcastle-Under-Lyme Borough Council.

Local residents, bolstered by the Coalition Against Factory Farming (CAFF), have launched a robust campaign against the proposals. Hundreds of objections have been submitted following a series of community meetings, extensive leafleting, and growing unrest on social media.

Cathy Whitehorne, a Shropshire resident actively involved in the opposition, voiced strong concerns: "Local people across Shropshire are waking up to the huge damage these megafarms are causing to our communities. They are a disaster for human health, air quality, and the River Severn."

Whitehorne highlighted the scale of existing poultry farming in the county, estimating 20 million chickens at any given time. "More manure now comes from industrial agriculture than from humans," she stated. "A huge amount of this waste ends up polluting our rivers while the dust from the sheds causes air pollution and the potential for respiratory diseases. The huge corporations benefiting from this factory farming don’t care if Shropshire is trashed and local people get sick. But we live here and we do care. It’s our job to fight back – it’s ordinary people against megafarms."

The intensity of the local backlash appears to have caught the poultry industry off guard. Last week, AIMS reportedly urged all UK poultry workers, regardless of location, to register supportive comments on planning applications nationwide in response to what they termed "activist opposition."

"Supporting each other is essential," AIMS told industry publication Poultry News. "Planning decisions are increasingly becoming political battlegrounds. It’s critical that those working to feed the nation speak up."

Whitehorne expressed disappointment at this industry tactic. "It’s depressing that the poultry industry is trying to use its might to bulldoze local people’s objections to these US-style megafarms," she said. "Both these applications have seen huge numbers of objections versus very few supportive comments. I hope that this attempt to silence residents backfires and encourages more ordinary people to speak up."

She also issued a direct challenge to the newly elected Liberal Democrat administration in Shropshire Council. "In Shropshire we have a new Liberal Democrat administration that won votes because it pledged to protect the environment and save the River Severn. Well now it’s time to deliver on that pledge. Will the new Shropshire Council administration prioritise chickens or people? We’re all watching…"

This is not the first instance of controversy surrounding poultry units in Shropshire. Shropshire Council is currently embroiled in a High Court legal battle with River Action UK over plans for sheds to house 200,000 birds at Felton Butler, near Shrewsbury. A judgment in that case is anticipated in the autumn.

Bini Pitwell from the Coalition Against Factory Farming (CAFF) reiterated the broader concerns. "Factory farming is having a devastating impact on Shropshire’s communities and ecosystems. From polluting local waterways to poor waste management and reduced biodiversity, these intensive farms threaten the health of our environment and the wellbeing of rural communities. Nobody wants an unsustainable, harmful megafarm in their village."