‘Horrifying’: Intensive Chicken Farm That Will Confine 1.35 Million Chickens a Year Approved in East Lindsey
East Lindsey District Council approved an intensive chicken farm at a planning meeting (02/09/26) by 4 votes in favour and 3 votes against.
Grange Farm in Toynton St Peter, Lincolnshire was given permission to build an intensive poultry unit that will confine 1.35 million chickens a year in four sheds where they will never see daylight. [1]
Before the meeting, local residents held a protest outside the meeting venue highlighting unacceptable risks to the local community, environment and animal welfare.
Several councillors spoke against the development on the basis of animal welfare and the industrialisation of Lincolnshire’s countryside.
Air quality was a significant concern for the Council, with members questioning how approving this factory farm would affect residents’ health. An independent air quality report by Dr Michael Bull found that PM2.5 (air pollution) emissions from Grange Farm would be the equivalent of a 7.5-kilometre stretch of the M25 carrying 160,000 vehicles a day – with real impacts far higher because the emissions would be concentrated in a much smaller area.
Locally, nitrates are already above safe levels in the development area. Yet Ian Irwin, Interim Development Manager, dismissed material planning considerations against the application and warned council members that, if they refuse the application, “you’re putting us in a very difficult position for defending that decision.”
Irwin stressed that decisions should primarily focus on planning considerations relating to land use. However, the government’s land use policy does not support more intensive factory farming.
Speaking in objection, Lyndon Brace, a resident of Toynton St Peter, said:
“This Intensive Poultry Unit would create only 2 jobs, but cause suffering to so many people in Toynton Fenside and all across Lincolnshire. It’s time to draw a line in the sand: make Lincolnshire attractive for people to live and invest here, not a big industrial estate. Please don’t throw us under the bus so that this applicant can fill his wallet.”
The application for 180,000 chickens at any one time would use fast-growing breeds (commonly known as ‘Frankenchickens’) who are associated with severe animal welfare issues. Indeed, research has shown that by growing so unnaturally fast, Frankenchickens commonly cannot walk because they are unable to support their own weight.
Jo Lazarus, Campaign Coordinator at Communities Against Factory (CAFF), which is supporting local residents, said:
“We're extremely disappointed that the council has approved a development that could put residents’ health at risk and cause horrifying suffering to millions of birds. As some councillors argued in the meeting, we need to move away from the harms of factory farming: the industrialisation of Lincolnshire needs to stop.”
ENDS
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Find more pics here: https://show.pics.io/grange-farm-protest-2-sept-2026. All images in this file can be used with credit to Martin Pope.
For more information or further comments, please contact:
Daniel, press@caff.org.uk
Notes to Editors: