Campaigners step up fight against proposed pig farm

More than 6,500 people have signed a petition to stop Midland Pig Producers (MPP) building the farm on 12.5ha (30 acres) of land in Derbyshire.

They are asking Derbyshire County Council to refuse the proposals for various reasons including its close proximity to Foston Hall women’s prison, the risk of air and water pollution, the odour, its effects on small local producers and its ‘negative impact’ on property values.

Anti-factory farming group Pig Business also raised concerns over animal welfare and said the pigs would most likely be fed with antibiotics which would ‘spawn the growth of drug-resistant bacteria such as MRSA ST398’, a new disease which passes from pigs to humans.

The group’s director Tracy Worcester said: “Cheap pork is flooding UK supermarket shelves from mainland Europe where, according to Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), 90 per cent of the farms are not obeying European Union animal welfare legislation.

“Instead of trying to compete with these cheap imports by building mega farms with a few small improvements in terms of animal welfare and green credentials, our Government should be ensuring our small-scale family farms receive payments that reflect their benefits to society.”

The group has also received support from Friends of the Earth, the Soil Association, Change.org and actor Dominic West.

Change.org’s sustainable food editor Sarah Parsons said the farm would open the door for more factory farms in the UK.

If approved, it would become the third-largest factory farm in the UK, housing more than 25,000 pigs and sending more than 1,000 to slaughter every week.

As FG reported last month, MPP hit back at objectors’ claims saying most statements were ‘completely untrue’.

A spokesman said the unit would be fitted with new technology which meant it would not be accompanied with a bad smell and animal welfare was a priority.

He said size had no impact on disease which would be controlled by good standards of hygiene, welfare and management systems.

The council is expected to make its decision by the end of the summer.

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