Chicken Factory in Clyro - Public Meeting

Back to the serious stuff:

Clyro Community Council have agreed to discuss the proposed chicken sheds on a farm in Clyro at a public meeting on Tuesday 10th January at 7pm in Clyro Village Hall. There has been a petition online, #CluckOff, which gained almost 800 signatures, against the building of the poultry unit.
Last May, the community council voted in favour of the planning application, based on the information they had available at the time. It seems that the application has changed, though.
According to the leaflet distributed by the #CluckOff campaigners, planning permission was applied for in 2009 originally. This was for one building to house 10,000 free range birds, which would be cleaned out every 56 days, with natural daylight and RSPCA monitoring.
This was never built, and the present application is for two buildings, each bigger than the one in the original plans, housing factory birds to produce fertilised eggs for use in the broiler industry. There would be about 22,300 hens and 1,700 cockerels. They would be under artificial lighting, and the chicken muck would be cleaned out only once a year. The chickens would also be killed at this time, and replaced with a fresh batch of 24,000 birds. There would be twice weekly egg collections, by HGV, and it's a busy and fast road they would be turning on and off.
Cargill Meats Europe, who are behind the scheme, say there is little demand for free range birds, and the original plan was unsustainable.
A consultant has been paid to speak against the planning proposal, but this is expensive, and they are looking for donations so that the consultant can speak at the planning meeting in Llandrindod Wells. This is being co-ordinated by James Lewis at Black Mountain View Caravan Park - right next to the proposed chicken sheds. He can be contacted on info@blackmountainview.co.uk
The Planning Officer is Gemma Bufton at Powys County Council, The Gwalia, Ithon Road, Llandrindod Wells, LD1 6AA.
Local County Councillors to contact are James Gibson-Watt of Glasbury ward, and Gareth Ratcliffe of Hay. Chris Davies, the MP for Brecon and Radnor, seems to be in favour of the scheme.
There is also a Twitter hashtag #cluckoff