Hog And Chicken CAFOs In East Anglia Broke Environmental Law At Leat 776 Times In 7 Years - Sewage Spills, Dumping, More

Industrial-scale livestock farms across East Anglia have breached environmental regulations more than 700 times in the past seven years, freedom of information (FoI) data has revealed. The farms across Norfolk and Suffolk are among the largest in the country. Pig and poultry farming is concentrated in the region and 28% of England’s pig population was farmed in the area in 2023. Copies of inspection and enforcement reports, obtained under FoI legislation and released by the NGOs Sustain and Feedback Global, show how intensive poultry and pig farms have violated environmental regulations at least 776 times. On average the breaches occurred at least twice a week, or nearly 10 times a month, between 2017 and 2024.

Among the breaches documented by inspectors were water, ground and air pollution incidents, including waterways being contaminated with slurry and excessive odours, dead animal carcasses being left outside rather than in sealed containers, farms being overstocked with more livestock than allowed, and irregularities relating to the transport and disposal of farm waste.

The data is published as planning officials are considering an application from Cranswick plc, one of the UK’s leading food producers, for the expansion of its farm in the Norfolk village of Methwold into one of the country’s largest industrial farms, which would produce millions of chickens and tens of thousands of pigs a year.

Several farms owned by Cranswick trading entities Crown Chicken Ltd and Wayland Farms Ltd, have breached environmental permit regulations at least 90 times between them, according to the data. The breaches include intense odours, slurry spreading near residential homes and a lack of record keeping. The majority of breaches resulted in advice and guidance. A consultation on the proposals by Cranswick, which is being carried out by King’s Lynn and West Norfolk council, closed last week with thousands of objections lodged. Major opposition to the proposal focuses on concerns that there will be a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions that will threaten climate targets nationally and locally.

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/05/east-anglian-farms-breach-environment-regulations-700-times-in-seven-years