Nocton: Mixed reaction to revised plans

Plans for Britain’s biggest first super-dairy – a 3770-cow dairy herd in Lincolnshire – have split the industry. Here’s a round-up of the reaction so far.

“We’re very conscious of concerns about water, public health, smell, traffic and welfare, and need to prove that this farming model is sustainable in that particular location.  The advantage is we’ve got a brand new site and we can design all this in from the start rather than having to adapt an older farm to deal with modern requirements – which is always a challenge for any farmer.”
David Barnes, director Nocton Dairies Ltd

“Our soils in Lincolnshire suffer badly from lack of organic matter, and restoring it through animal-based fertilisers and growing break crops for the dairy helps water retention, fertility and soil structure,” he explains.  “Reducing reliance on artificial fertiliser is also critical as we are being increasingly affected by rising prices in the world’s fuel markets and reducing access to phosphate and potash supplies.”
Robert Howard, neighbouring arable farmer, Lincolnshire

“The proposal is something of a test-case for the British dairy sector.  Public confidence in dairy products is an absolute priority for farmers and as an industry we will always be guided by consumer preference. However, the investment in a new, state of the art dairy farm is an imaginative and positive step in an industry that has been massively underinvested for over a decade.”
Hayley Campbell-Gibbons, chief dairy adviser, NFU
 
“We do not comment on planning applications, because plans can be very different from what actually happens in reality. Just because a system is large, does not necessarily make it bad in terms of animal welfare. We also wish to make it clear that the RSPCA has, at no stage, been advising Nocton on this issue or their planning application and any such suggestions are incorrect.”
RSPCA spokesman

“Mega-dairies such as that proposed at Nocton pose a huge risk to animal welfare, the environment, our countryside and our farmers. At the heart of this application is a business plan for producing cheap milk from high yielding cows. But the real cost of this milk can be measured out in risk to animal welfare and to the small scale farmers whose livelihoods will be threatened if the application gets the go ahead.”
Suzi Morris, UK director, World Society for the Protection of Animals

“Putting dairy cows into factory farms is unwanted and unnecessary. If given the go-ahead, this proposal would strike at the heart of animal welfare, put hard pressed family farms under even more pressure and could undermine the integrity of our milk. I am sure many will agree that cows belong in fields, not in mega-dairies.”
Philip Lymbery, chief executive, Compassion in World Farming

“This proposal poses a grave threat to our environment, particularly the potential pollution of our ground water, with a fragile water aquifer directly under the proposed site. We are also concerned about the health and wellbeing of the residents of several nearby villages, with the potential for airborne particles affecting those with respiratory problems.”
Deborah Wilson, Campaign Against Factory Farming Operations

“New research from America, where mega dairies began, proves how bad for the environment intensive dairy systems can be. It confirms what common sense tells us – when milk is produced in a less intensive way, such as in organic systems, this is not only better for the cows, but better for the environment too.”
Emma Hockridge, head of policy, Soil Association

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