Consent denied for proposed poultry broiler farm expansion

Environment Waikato hearing commissioners have decided against granting a consent for the proposed expansion of a poultry broiler farm at Eureka, near Hamilton.

Commissioners Jenni Vernon and Bruce Graham decided the risks of objectionable odours from the expansion of the farm on to affecting neighbours was too great.

The commissioners, however, granted a resource consent for the continuation of the existing operation.

Q Chicks Limited had applied to EW to discharge dust and odour from its existing poultry broiler farm and had also sought consent to expand its capacity from 60,000 to 90,000 birds.

Having heard evidence from the applicant, EW experts and neighbours concerned about odours and dust from the farm, the commissioners decided they could not approve the proposed expansion.

The commissioners’ reasons included the fact the applicant’s property was not suitable for further intensification given its limited size, the risk of objectionable odours and the lack of practical options to further control odour.

In relation to the expansion, the commissioners said in their report: “Given the current state of broiler-farming technology, there are no additional control methods that are practical and economically viable that will ensure that the cumulative adverse odour effects on nearby neighbours are able to be avoided, remedied, or mitigated.”

The hearing was a joint one with Waikato District Council, whose commissioners have issued their own report and also declined the expansion.