The Environment Agency (EA) has refused a permit for Cranswick’s proposed redevelopment of its Methwold and Feltwell farming sites in Norfolk, a move that has been welcomed by campaigners and local politicians but strongly criticised by the firm.
A Cranswick spokesperson said: “The site already has a permit in place and therefore we are disappointed to have been informed by the EA of their decision to refuse the permit for the redevelopment of the site at Methwold and Feltwell. We are now working to assess all of the options for the site.”
The plans were not for a new farm, but for upgrading existing facilities, including replacing old pig sheds with modern, sustainable poultry barns and improving pig housing standards. A farm has operated on the site since the 1960s, and part of the Feltwell site is already a working pig farm. Under the rejected permit, the redevelopment would have allowed 14,000 pigs and 714,000 chickens to be housed across the two sites.
Cranswick argued that the project would have helped reduce food miles, cut reliance on imported pork and poultry, and improve UK food security, and would support the Government’s Good Food Cycle framework for “resilient domestic production” and sustainability.
However, the proposals drew strong opposition locally. Terry Jermy MP, who represents South West Norfolk, hailed the EA’s decision as a victory for “local people and the environment.”
Jermy said: “This has been a long time coming, but we finally have a decision that protects local residents and the environment. Hopefully this is the final nail in the coffin for this proposal.
“We need further discussion about how we have food security in this country and megafarms are not the answer. We need farms with high means of animal welfare and sustainability.”
The EA’s decision follows an earlier move by King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council, which unanimously rejected planning permission for the same proposal earlier this year.