Poultry farmers ‘trapped’ in outdated planning system
A leading Yorkshire poultry farmer has warned without urgent changes to the planning system, British production is at risk of being displaced by chicken farmed overseas.
Third-generation farmer Will Raw, who works in partnership with his father and uncle on a mixed farm at Scorton, near Richmond, comprising 250 acres of combinable crops as well as broilers, said revising the national planning framework would be vital in meeting increased demand for the nation’s favourite meat.
Mr Raw, who was elected as NFU Poultry Board chair in March, said excessive planning delays, inconsistent local decisions and systematic barriers were preventing poultry producers from creating essential space to look after and house the number of chickens needed.
Planning consultants have claimed uncertainty and rising up-front costs for green mitigation measures are impeding the development of chicken sheds and that consents and environmental permits for poultry housing are only issued after increasingly tough pollution prevention regulations have been met.
Mr Raw said: “Government needs to overhaul the current planning framework to incentivise our farmers to invest in new buildings, to adopt improved technology and continue to deliver high welfare standards and reduced environmental impacts. This all builds long-term business resilience and viability.”
However, residents of some rural communities, such as that of Thornton-le-beans, near Northallerton, which successfully battled a proposal for a £10m free range egg farm in 2023, could be sceptical about the transformation of planning rules designed specifically to protect their environment.
In addition, other Yorkshire chicken producers, including Goodmanham Grange, near Market Weighton, earlier this year highlighted how their ambition to increase their chicken sheds aligns with the national planning framework, saying it promotes rural business growth, agricultural diversification, and the development of renewable energy infrastructure.
Nevertheless, last year’s NFU broiler shed survey revealed the average age of a broiler house in the UK is more than 30 years old, with refurbishment rates low, while 15 per cent of sheds currently in production are at least 50 years old.
The study, the largest of its kind with data from more than 5,000 poultry houses covering 7.2 million square metres of productive floor space, showed little improvement since the union’s 2014 survey, despite producers facing mounting pressure to modernise housing and improve efficiency.
Mr Raw said although British poultry farmers were eager to invest, modernise and future-proof their businesses, they remained “trapped in a planning system of endless delays and obstruction”.
He said: “When applications are in limbo or we are blocked from building new poultry housing – or upgrading ventilation and windows in older units – it stymies growth and directly harms on-farm innovation and efficiency.
“It’s estimated more than a thousand new poultry sheds need to be built to keep up with increasing public demand for British chicken. Without urgent change, we risk displacing British production with chicken produced overseas - from countries where food is allowed to be produced in ways that are illegal here.”
Mr Raw’s call for action comes as the NFU celebrates British chicken and the country’s welfare standards with the launch of its #LoveBritishChicken campaign this week.