Farmer Focus: Frustration as on-farm butchery plans refused
Jack Bosworth © MAG/Colin Miller I hope everyone is well. I was hoping I could share some positive news, but it hasn’t worked out that way.
The biggest frustration for me is that the factors causing these hold-ups are outside of our control.
You may recall we previously put in for planning permission on a small butchery, to be sited near to the farm.
That proposal was later refused, and refused again at appeal some six months later.
See also: On-farm developments: Advice on planning consent approval
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During that appeal process, we found and acquired another business that allowed us to start adding value to what we do, while cutting out some parties within the food supply chain.
In late 2025, we put in a new planning application for a 252sq m butchery to help us grow our product range and give us more control over our production from farm to fork, while creating more employment opportunities for the local economy.
The proposed location this time was on the site of an old 550sq m farm building.
It has a separate road access to the farm traffic, which would help us maintain segregation for biosecurity, food safety, and staff health and safety.
Unfortunately, planning was refused for inappropriate development within the Green Belt, and insufficient details and mitigating measures regarding the development and its impact on the Epping Forest Special Area of Conservation (EFSAC).
The proposed site is already fully concreted, houses a far larger and more intrusive structure at present, is outside the EFSAC, and does nothing to support the farming business or the local economy.
I gave a far greater response to our district councillor following refusal, but I think this summarises why I am frustrated and concerned at our planning system in the space available here.
Weather woes
In the meantime, the rain continues to keep us parked up, so the arable and contracting workload is continuing to get squeezed into a smaller portion of the calendar.
Drilling, fertiliser spreading, spraying and slurry/digestate applications all remain on hold, and we just hope we can get on as early as possible in March.
These are the years where farmers would really come unstuck if autumn applications of organic manures could not be justified.
Though not applicable this year, if we had a dry January and then it came wet, everyone affected would be cursing the “calendar over conditions” restrictions put on us.