Overview

• The High Court overturned planning permission for a 200,000-bird chicken farm at North Farm near Shrewsbury after finding Shropshire Council failed to assess the environmental impact of manure spreading.
• Campaigners from River Action highlighted that Shropshire has nearly 65 chickens per person and argued the council did not consider the combined pollution effects of multiple poultry units.
• The judge ruled the council breached environmental law by omitting both appropriate assessment procedures and in-combination impact evaluations for the development.
• This ruling builds on a March High Court decision that classified farming manure as industrial waste, underscoring stricter waste management requirements.
• Environmental advocates say the judgment will force local authorities to apply more rigorous scrutiny to future intensive livestock proposals in vulnerable river catchments.