Nocton Dairies has delayed plans to establish an 8,000-strong dairy herd in Lincolnshire while it addresses public concerns.
The controversial £50m project has faced criticism from animal welfare groups since its announcement in February, with vegetarian group Viva! likening it to "battery farming cows".
Plans will be re-visited and re-submitted within a couple of months, according to Peter Willes, a director at Parkham Farms, who is spearheading the project with farmers David Barnes and Robert Howard.
"All consultees have raised the bar on the standard they expect us to achieve as far as highways, the environment and so on are concerned," he said. "We've opened Pandora's box to an extent, but that was inevitable."
The dairy unit, which would be the first of its kind in Britain, would still go ahead despite the delay, insisted Willes, pointing out that hold-ups were not uncommon on major planning projects.
"We're still very confident in what we're doing. We've got the perfect farm for our needs and we wouldn't have bought it otherwise. The public needs to know more about dairy farming and that it is not the horrific industry some people think it is."
Willes also claimed that, despite the opposition of some groups, the local council had been supportive of the company's proposals. Nocton was confident the application would be greenlighted later in the year, he said. "They will make sure everything is right for the local people and for the farm."
Viva!, which has been vociferous in its opposition to Nocton's plans, welcomed this week's announcement. "This is a major vindication of our concerns that the farm where over 8,000 cows were due to be zero-grazed for most of the year would be bad for animal welfare and the environment," said a spokesman.
Nocton's plans include producing 80 million litres of milk a year to supply the retail trade. It claims its milk will have the lowest carbon footprint in the country.
The controversial £50m project has faced criticism from animal welfare groups since its announcement in February, with vegetarian group Viva! likening it to "battery farming cows".
Plans will be re-visited and re-submitted within a couple of months, according to Peter Willes, a director at Parkham Farms, who is spearheading the project with farmers David Barnes and Robert Howard.
"All consultees have raised the bar on the standard they expect us to achieve as far as highways, the environment and so on are concerned," he said. "We've opened Pandora's box to an extent, but that was inevitable."
The dairy unit, which would be the first of its kind in Britain, would still go ahead despite the delay, insisted Willes, pointing out that hold-ups were not uncommon on major planning projects.
"We're still very confident in what we're doing. We've got the perfect farm for our needs and we wouldn't have bought it otherwise. The public needs to know more about dairy farming and that it is not the horrific industry some people think it is."
Willes also claimed that, despite the opposition of some groups, the local council had been supportive of the company's proposals. Nocton was confident the application would be greenlighted later in the year, he said. "They will make sure everything is right for the local people and for the farm."
Viva!, which has been vociferous in its opposition to Nocton's plans, welcomed this week's announcement. "This is a major vindication of our concerns that the farm where over 8,000 cows were due to be zero-grazed for most of the year would be bad for animal welfare and the environment," said a spokesman.
Nocton's plans include producing 80 million litres of milk a year to supply the retail trade. It claims its milk will have the lowest carbon footprint in the country.
No comments yet