Fears for animal welfare prompts dairy farm site visit
Pembrokeshire planners are to visit one of the county’s largest dairy farms following claims that a scheme to erect new calf buildings could lead to animal welfare issues.
The development will result in a predicted herd increase from 2,000 cattle to 3,000.
The applications for a calf building, a weaned calf building and associated yard areas at Langdon Mill Farm near Jeffreyston, Kilgetty, have been recommended for conditional approval.
But concerns have been raised by the Jeffreyston community council about possible increased noise levels as well as odours escaping from the new buildings. The community council’s concerns have been endorsed by Ian Dennis, who is a vet of 40 years’ experience. Addressing the recent planning committee, Mr Dennis described the holding as ‘a factory farming intensive livestock unit’ and said he had 'very huge concerns' about the scale of the development.
Following a suggestion by committee chair Cllr Simon Hancock, the application was deferred pending a site visit.
The Langdon Mill Farm holding currently has a milking herd of approximately 2,000 cows which are housed indoors for the majority of the year. Its milk yield is currently in excess of 10,000 litres a year per cow.
Fears for animal welfare prompts dairy farm site visit
Pembrokeshire planners are to visit one of the county’s largest dairy farms following claims that a scheme to erect new calf buildings could lead to animal welfare issues.
The development will result in a predicted herd increase from 2,000 cattle to 3,000.
The applications for a calf building, a weaned calf building and associated yard areas at Langdon Mill Farm near Jeffreyston, Kilgetty, have been recommended for conditional approval.
But concerns have been raised by the Jeffreyston community council about possible increased noise levels as well as odours escaping from the new buildings. The community council’s concerns have been endorsed by Ian Dennis, who is a vet of 40 years’ experience. Addressing the recent planning committee, Mr Dennis described the holding as ‘a factory farming intensive livestock unit’ and said he had 'very huge concerns' about the scale of the development.
Following a suggestion by committee chair Cllr Simon Hancock, the application was deferred pending a site visit.
The Langdon Mill Farm holding currently has a milking herd of approximately 2,000 cows which are housed indoors for the majority of the year. Its milk yield is currently in excess of 10,000 litres a year per cow.