Northern Ireland’s poultry sector is facing significant disruption due to ongoing delays in the planning system, according to Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart MP, who has raised concerns about the role of Shared Environmental Services (SES) in slowing down development approvals.
Lockhart has accused SES of creating a “planning purgatory” for farmers, arguing that prolonged decision-making, limited transparency and repeated requests for additional information are placing serious financial and operational pressure on agricultural businesses, particularly poultry producers.
She said SES, established in 2015 to support environmental planning functions after responsibilities were transferred to local councils, has instead become a bottleneck in the system. According to Lockhart, farm developments are being delayed not due to regulatory failure, but because of what she describes as inconsistent and slow processing within SES.
The MP also argued that SES has added layers of bureaucracy by duplicating work previously carried out by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), increasing costs and uncertainty for applicants.
For poultry farmers, she highlighted particular concerns around planning applications for new or upgraded poultry housing. Lockhart said farmers are being required to commission costly environmental reports, including air-quality modelling, with applications often left unresolved for long periods and no clear timeline for approval.
She also raised concerns about cases involving poultry litter export arrangements to the Republic of Ireland, where applicants have reportedly been asked to complete additional modelling requirements despite already meeting approval conditions elsewhere. According to Lockhart, this has led to significant additional costs for family farm businesses.
The MP warned that the uncertainty is affecting investment decisions across the sector, with farm infrastructure upgrades delayed, grant schemes stalled and lenders reportedly becoming more cautious due to the lack of planning clarity.
Beyond financial impacts, Lockhart said the prolonged approval process is also contributing to stress and uncertainty for farming families, particularly those operating poultry enterprises seeking to modernise or expand.
She has called for intervention from Stormont to streamline the system, reduce duplication and improve accountability within environmental planning processes, arguing that reforms are needed to restore confidence and support rural development.
Lockhart said that without change, the current system risks continuing to restrict farm efficiency improvements, including upgrades aimed at animal welfare and environmental performance within the poultry sector.