Nocton Mega-Dairy in UK Withdraws Plans for Factory Dairy Farm

There is good news from the UK. Thanks in no small part to the dedicated animal and environmental groups, along with many individuals, the mega dairy application for Nocton has been withdrawn. The proposed dairy factory farm in Lincolnshire would have been the first such endeavor in the UK.

Originally, the proposal called for 8,000 cows, but due to strong objections, a plan was resubmitted for close to 4,000. Modeled after U.S. factory farm methods, Nocton Dairies would have been a precedent-setting operation for England.

The Ecologist reported “in a statement, the farmers behind the Nocton proposal, David Barnes and Peter Willis, said they still hoped to see large-scale, US-style, dairy farming in the UK and challenged others to ‘stand up to’ opponents of the system. Another farmer, David Alvis, has recently been reported to be looking to set up a 2,000-3,000 cow unit in Cambridgeshire.”

In the end, it was the environmental impact of tens of thousands of tons of waste products produced by the cows each year that was the main concern about giving approval. The huge amount of waste runoff would seep into ground water and pollute the area. Animal welfare concerns won this battle by default.

PETA, WSPA and VIVA.com had active campaigns running to prevent Nocton Dairy from becoming a reality. The WSPA ‘Not in my Cuppa’ campaign was quite creative in drawing the public’s attention to the issue. The video below is one such example.

Thanks to the many Care2 members who took the time to get involved by writing, emailing, signing petitions and calling North Kesteven District Council. Your voices have been heard!

Flickr: CanadianFamily

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Martha E.

9:51PM PDT on Mar 15, 2011

So our signatures and letters made a difference! However, as long as humans eat meat and dairy products, there will be factory farms. One crisis averted: a million more to go.