Powys poultry farms seek to add 185,100 more birds to sites
Llanshay Farm, Knighton, Neuadd Isaf Farm near Llandrindod Wells, and Rhosddu Farm, Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain have applied for environmental permits from Natural Resources Wales.
Llanshay Farm, the largest of the three, is proposing to increase the number of bird they keep from 110,000 to 200,000, and build two new poultry sheds.
Penybont's Neuadd Isaf Poultry Farm is looking to add another 87,100 birds and two new sheds to its current 170,900 site.
Meanwhile, Rhosddu Farm in north Powys, wants to build a 24,000 multi-tier aviary for the extra 8,000 birds it wants to rear.
The proposed permits contain conditions and limits to protect human health and the environment, and ensure best available techniques are followed by the farmers.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) says it is minded to grant the changes to the three farm permits after assessing the applications but has launched a public consultation to gather the views of the surrounding communities.
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Nick Bettinson, NRW's Permitting Service Manager, said: 'We understand there is likely to be public interest in these applications, so we want to give the public and interested parties an opportunity to comment on our draft decisions.
'Having carefully assessed these three applications, we are minded to grant the variations and are now inviting local residents, community groups, stakeholders and businesses to take part in the consultations and have their say.
'We want to reassure the public that we only grant a permit variation if the proposal meets the requirements of the Environmental Permitting Regulations, and the operator has the ability to meet the conditions of the permit.'
Operators of poultry farms with more than 40,000 birds need both a permit from NRW and planning permission from the local authority to operate - both of which are applied for and issued independently.
Where a poultry farm is subject to both Environmental Permitting Regulations and planning consent, it is the Local Planning Authority's remit to consider the implications of off-site manure management.
The permitting process can only consider emissions from permitted sites for which NRW has the power to regulate. NRW cannot legally regulate manures from permitted sites through permit conditions, once it has left the permitted boundary.
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