Fight heats up over factory dairy farm
Mar 5, 2013
WSPA will be fighting plans to build a 1000 cow factory dairy farm at an upcoming Public Inquiry into the issue held by the Welsh Government.
Pressure from members of the public, including WSPA supporters, led to the Welsh Assembly re-examining the plans to build a 1000 cow industrial dairy farm in the village of Welshpool.
Our evidence
We’re doing everything we can to stop these plans becoming a reality. WSPA will be at the Inquiry giving evidence which highlights the impacts of industrial farming on animals and local communities.
The plans would see cows at Lower Leighton Farm have little or no access to graze in open fields. We believe this is a backwards step for UK farming. As well as having a poor quality of life, battery cows such as these could face a higher risk of disease, injury and premature death.
And it’s not just animals that will be affected. If approved, the factory farm will be built 100 yards from a primary school, right in the heart of the village.
WSPA will be presenting evidence at the Inquiry that this could be a health concern. His research into the health of schoolchildren attending schools next to similar-sized factory dairies showed that they are much more likely to suffer breathing problems, such as wheezing or asthma, which could cause life-long health consequences.
A tipping point for UK dairy
WSPA is championing a future that is economically, environmentally and ethically responsible – and sustainable. We can work with farmers to keep them in business but ensure that consumer demand is met and animal welfare standards and environmental impact are high priority.
We believe that the outcome of this Inquiry will affect more than one farmer’s future: it will set a precedent for a wholesale change that could forever negatively alter the rural landscape and those that work within it.
The Inquiry begins on Tuesday 5 March and runs for two weeks. You can follow the Inquiry live on our Twitter channel @notinmycuppa and we will be posting updates on our homepage www.wspa.org.uk.
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