‘Deeply Concerning’: Intensive Poultry Farm Approved Despite Residents’ Fears
4 June 2026
Braintree District Council approved the replacement and likely expansion of an intensive poultry farm at its meeting on 2 June, despite receiving over 1,000 objections to the application. [1]
Before the committee meeting, residents gathered outside to demonstrate the local community’s opposition to factory farming.
The application was vague and contained conflicting information on the number of birds that will be confined, campaigners say.
It also failed to reveal the full scale of air pollution and animal welfare impacts, as well as failing to address other material planning considerations.
Hubbards Farm was granted permission for a chicken shed to replace an existing turkey shed. According to application documents, the current 5,000-bird operations would be replaced by an intensive unit containing at least 26,000 birds.
Despite this quintupling in bird numbers, councillors were repeatedly told the new shed was the same scale. The Planning Officer stated: "In terms of the number of birds, we also, as officers, sought confirmation regarding this. It’s been confirmed that the existing arrangement and the number of birds would remain consistent between the existing unit and the proposed unit." [2]
Communities Against Factory Farming (CAFF) found a parallel Environment Agency permit application that states 109,628 chickens could be housed at any one time on the site. [3]
Cllr James Abbott, who was one of two councillors to vote against the application, said:
“The application for a large chicken shed raised a number of questions, not least why there was such a huge difference between the number of birds stated in the planning application and the number that is stated in the Environmental Permit, a separate process overseen by the Environment Agency.
“I did not feel at the meeting last night that the information that was provided in the application documents explained that difference and that was a key reason why I voted against the application. Obviously, the scale of what is proposed has implications for the environment, both for the animals inside buildings and the environment outside, in terms of any pollution and waste.”
Jo Lazarus, Campaign Coordinator at CAFF, said:
“We're extremely disappointed with this decision, which was made without full awareness of the environmental, biodiversity, public health, and animal welfare impacts. Factory farming causes pollution and risks to public health, and this intensification jeopardises the Shalford community's quality of life. The Council’s lack of scrutiny over conflicting bird numbers and lack of environmental detail is deeply concerning.”
Shalford resident Mimi Croft, who spoke against the application, said:
“Intensive poultry production increases airborne ammonia and particulate matter, and the health effects of these pollutants are now established medical fact.
“Intensive poultry units generate large quantities of waste, which in turn produce these harmful pollutants. Yet on the Planning Application Form, when asked whether the proposal includes areas to store or collect waste, the applicant answered no. When asked whether the proposal involves the disposal of trade effluents or trade waste, the answer was again no. These responses raise serious concerns in light of the concurrent Environment Agency application.”
ENDS
Word Count: 514
Find more pics here: https://show.pics.io/hubbards-farm-protest
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Notes to Editors:
[1] Planning Application: https://publicaccess.braintree.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=T703ECBFMKQ00
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-o5atLp9sc, from 33:34