October 2010 printable subscribers newsletter

This month has seen The Ecologist cover some highly current and emotive stories. With the planning application for the UK’s biggest dairy at Nocton in Lincolnshire expected to be submitted imminently, the spectre of US-style ‘mega-dairy’ farms looms large, according to animal welfare campaigners. They are worried about the impact of housing 8000 cows in a single intensive facility; particularly what it will mean for the wellbeing of the animals involved. Local residents are concerned about the impacts of the farm on their lives and the immediate environment.

Those behind the development argue that large, modern dairy facilities such as that proposed at Nocton offer a sensible, environmentally friendly and economically viable way of doing business in the 21st Century; big doesn’t necessarily mean bad. They also accuse activists, and the media, of making inaccurate claims and prejudging the proposal before the full facts are presented. The latter is not entirely true – the original planning application was withdrawn after concerns were raised about the proposal’s environmental credentials. But they are right to insist that the debate is based on hard facts.
 

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