Slurry-plan farmer sent threatening emails

Jeremy Holmes, of Delph House Farm, whose dairy makes Yummy Yorkshire ice cream, had submitted plans to Barnsley Council for a new slurry store on the edge of Upper Denby.

The site, off Gunthwaite Lane, in Upper Denby, is only a few metres from houses.

The plans, which were set to cost him more than £30,000, upset many villagers with some saying they would no longer take milk from the farm or visit its award-winning ice-cream parlour.

Mr Holmes said: “We have had a very strong reaction from local people to the planning application including some very threatening emails.

“The situation has been very distressing for myself and my family and I have been taken aback by the strength of feeling.

“As someone who has lived here all my life I have found this very difficult to deal with and don’t feel I can continue with the proposed plans.

“I never set out to find myself at odds with the local community but was simply trying to find a solution to new regulations being imposed on farms by the EU.

“I don’t currently know how we are going to proceed but we are working closely with the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and the Environment Agency to find a solution that is agreeable to all.”

A spokesman for the NFU said: “It is obviously very regrettable that Mr Holmes and his family have found themselves in a situation where by law they need to increase their slurry storage capacity, but finding a site that is acceptable both to environmental regulators and local residents has proved so difficult.

“Complying with Nitrate Vulnerable Zones regulations is something dairy farmers up and down the country are struggling with – especially as it requires huge investment at a time when the industry is facing real difficulties.

“I hope the Environment Agency can now work with Mr Holmes to help resolve the situation.”