Victory: ‘Chicken City’ Rejected By Wychavon Planning Committee

For Immediate Release:

12 September 2014

Contact:

Ben Williamson +44 (0) 20 7837 6327; [email protected]

Poultry Farm Planning Application Thrown Out Following More Than 26,000 E-Mails From PETA Supporters

Wychavon, Worcestershire – After receiving thousands of objections from supporters of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the Planning Committee of Wychavon District Council voted unanimously to refuse permission for an intensive broiler chicken farm expansion in Upton Snodsbury. The proposed facility, which would confine 160,000 chickens at any single time to filthy, crowded sheds, earning it the nickname “Chicken City”, was rejected by 13 votes to zero – a decision that was met with a round of applause.

“The people of Wychavon have made it clear that they don’t want this chicken hellhole anywhere near them”, says PETA UK Director Mimi Bekhechi. “Chickens raised on factory farms rarely – if ever – smell fresh air or feel the warmth of the sun on their backs until the day when they are sent off to slaughter.”

Last year, Wychavon District Council refused an application from Edward Davies for two broiler units in Upton Snodsbury – a decision that was shockingly overturned by the Planning Inspectorate. This year, Mr Davies’ application, which has just been rejected, was for twice as many broiler units (four). Before the most recent decision, PETA fired off a letter to the council – complete with more than 26,000 signatures from local residents and other concerned members of the public – urging it to reject Davies’ application. The online action reminded Wychavon District Council that, in addition to being a living nightmare for animals, factory farms have a severely detrimental effect on the environment, both locally and nationally. Locally, farm traffic, noise and unpleasant odours can all cause unacceptable disruptions. Furthermore, it is now universally recognised that factory farms are among the main contributors to the greenhouse-gas emissions that cause climate change.

On chicken farms, these inquisitive, highly social birds are forced to spend their lives in sheds that stink of ammonia with tens of thousands of other birds. Chickens are dosed with antibiotics to fight disease and bred to grow so large so fast that many of them become crippled under their own weight and experience organ failure. Severe crowding and often filthy conditions leave chickens highly susceptible to chronic respiratory diseases. They are killed for their flesh at 42 days old, when they reach “slaughter weight”.

A copy of PETA’s letter to Wychavon District Council is available on request.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.

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