11 February 2019

Opposition still strong following consent given to Mainland Poultry mega farm

Today the CEO of Waikato District Council will present Direct Animal Action’s petition to stop Mainland Poultry building a mega egg farm to Mayor Allan Sanson and all councillors at their first business meeting of 2019 (1).

The petition has over 30,000 signatures and calls for the mega farm to be declined on animal welfare grounds and due to negative impacts on the local community (2).

This follows the Council granting consent in late January for Mainland to build a mega farm in Orini despite opposition for the community and animal advocates (3).

Locals who received limited notification and made submissions against the mega farm plan to register an appeal against the decision.

Deirdre Sims of Direct Animal Action says the group is in complete support of the locals who are opposing the consent over concerns about animal welfare, odour, increased heavy traffic and degradation of the town’s amenity.

“The locals don’t want this mega farm and our petition shows that more than 30,000 other New Zealanders don’t want this mega farm either.

“We hope the Mayor and councillors take our petition and the locals appeal seriously today. No one wants to see 400,000 chickens confined to cruel factory farm conditions and certainly no one wants to live next door to it.
“The Council railroaded through the hearing but luckily they can’t railroad through the appeal as that will be heard at the Environment Court,” says Ms Sims.

1. https://www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/your-council/council-committees-boards/council
2. https://www.change.org/p/waikato-district-council-stop-mainland-poultry-factory-farming-400-000-hens-for-cheap-eggs
3. Decision document available on request.

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