‘No Thanks’: Residents ‘Appalled’ by Factory Farm Plans for Lincolnshire Village
Around 50 local residents came together at a public meeting to oppose a new intensive poultry unit (IPU) planned for Keal Cotes, East Lindsey, which would trap two million chicks a year in factory farm sheds. [1]
The proposal to build six new sheds to confine 270,000 chickens for meat has met strong local opposition from Keal Cotes and West Keal residents.
Attendees raised concerns about flies, bad smells and road safety from having another major industrial facility on their doorstep.
Some 50 neighbours attended a community meeting at The Keals Village Hall on 13 August 2026 to discuss plans to oppose the development.
Kay Lutman, a Keal Cotes resident and retired specialist biomedical scientist, who spent 42 years working in the NHS, said:
“We already have two factory chicken farms within less than a mile to the south of our property and live with increased traffic, odour and noise. There is a considerable amount of mechanical noise from cleaning equipment and filling the grain hoppers and lorries passing at all hours. If there was a further development to the north but closer to our property we would be subject to noise and odours from almost every angle depending on the wind direction.
"The applicant owns thousands of hectares and I’m sure this development could be placed further afield so that the concentration of factory farms would have less impact on local residents. Animal welfare is uppermost in my mind as well: is this the way forward or are there better alternatives?"
The applicant is Hawkes Ltd, which already owns intensive pig farms around Spilsby.
With 270,000 chickens housed at any one time, this would result in more than two million birds passing through the factory farm each year.
The proposed Keal Cotes IPU would use “broiler” chickens bred for rapid growth, often referred to as “Frankenchickens” because of the unnatural speed at which they grow. The use of faster-growing breeds results in painful health problems, such as leg disorders and heart failure, as their bodies develop faster than their bones and organs can cope. Chicks also lack access to natural light, and are unable to spread their wings or dustbathe.
Ian MacDonald, a retired dental surgeon who lives on the boundary of East Keal and Keal Cotes, said:
“I object to the intensive poultry meat bird unit between Keal Cotes and West Keal because I cannot believe that it is right to keep so many thousands of birds in such confined conditions. I cannot understand how anyone could contemplate treating animals in this way. We live in a beautiful part of Britain. The thought of this landscape being blighted by this development is wrong, insupportable and cruel. With climate change making summers hotter, the conditions in these sheds will be intolerable.”
Janet Miller, a fundraiser for animal rescues, who lives opposite the proposed site in Keal Cotes, added:
“In this area, there are numerous intensive chicken sheds already. The thought of cramming so many living creatures together appalls me - it is factory farming at its worst. How many people were in the hall for the meeting? 50? How many chickens would be crammed in a similar sized space up there? Thousands! Then add the smells, flies, rats and traffic. No thanks. Farmers have to diversify now.”
Neighbours raised concerns about the accumulation of factory farms locally, as East Lindsey has seen a spread of intensive animal farming in recent years. As well as multiplying the disturbances for neighbours, such an accumulation poses severe risks for health as a result of high concentrations of ammonia, which is emitted from animal waste and is linked with health problems including asthma, heart disease and chronic lung conditions. [2] The accumulation of IPUs in Lincolnshire is also putting serious strain on the River Witham, which is in poor health. [3]
The meeting was hosted by Communities Against Factory Farming (CAFF), which is supporting the local community. [4]
Jo Lazarus, Campaign Coordinator at Communities Against Factory Farming (CAFF), said:
“Residents of Keal Cotes and West Keal came together to express their anger and upset over the proposed new intensive chicken farm. Many shared fears about odour and road safety problems that come with this sort of development, as well as concerns about the cumulative impacts of all the waste the farm would generate.
“The proposed factory farm would use fast-growing poultry breeds that gain weight so unnaturally fast that many birds are unable to walk. Councillors should take note of the strong local opposition and remember that animal welfare can be a material planning consideration.”
ENDS
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Communities Against Factory Farming (CAFF) works with residents across the UK to review planning applications for intensive farms and submit strong, evidence‑based planning objections. The organisation has helped communities block and overturn multiple intensive poultry unit applications when councils overlooked key environmental and animal‑welfare issues.
All images in this press release, on our social media, and on our website can be used with credit to Communities Against Factory Farming under ‘fair use’ for the purposes of reporting.
For more information or further comments, please contact:
Daniel (Press Back Office), press@caff.org.uk
Notes to Editors
[2] https://airqualitynews.com/health/interactive-map-reveals-ammonia-hotspots-from-factory-farms/
[3] https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/charity-claims-river-witham-lincolnshire-9156002