The biggest free range farm yet
Plans have been revealed for the biggest free range farm ever developed in Britain.
The proposed unit will accommodate 320,000 birds in ten buildings, using the multi-tier system. If given planning permission it will be developed near the village of Blyth Bridge, ten miles north of Biggar in the Scottish Borders, by the booming egg producer and packer Glenrath Farms.
The Peebles-based company has already established the first multi-tier free range unit in the country with 32,000 birds in a single building—two 16,000 bird flocks joined by an egg room at the centre.
As previously reported in the Ranger output from this unit has already been given provisional approval by both the Lion Code and the RSPCA Freedom Food scheme.
Glenrath Farms has now purchased a new farm to establish an enterprise which, when complete, will consist of ten of these buildings.
Initially planning permission has been sought for just one. The plans show it will measure 15 metres by 162 metres and will be 6 metres to the eves.
The construction of the first Glenrath multi-tier shed has sparked major controversy within the industry about the damage that these systems may cause to the image of free range. The sheer immensity of the new scheme is sure to arouse new concerns.
It has already met a storm of protest from Blyth Bridge residents. They have objected to the potential smell and the impact of 80 lorries a week visiting the site. They fear that if one building is approved the others will be “rubber stamped”.
Such is the uproar that the chairman and founder of the company, John Campbell, has addressed a meeting of the local Community Council with his son Ian. They told an audience of 30 people that while no environmental impact assessment was necessary for the first building a full report was being prepared for the other nine.
Mr Campbell told the Peebleshire News: “We need to expand due to customer demand for more free range eggs and we looked at a number of sites before settling on this one. We chose it because it was situated in a valley and there are no houses affected visually.”
Barry Fotheringham, the planning officer for the Tweeddale area of the Scottish Borders council, told the Ranger: “I have a lever arch file packed with objections to this project. No planning permission has yet been given because we have asked for certain environmental information and that has not yet been forthcoming. I would not expect a decision to be made on the single building before July.”
Glenrath Farms claims to be the biggest alternative egg producer in the world. With a staff of 180 it turns out over a million eggs a day and is taking an ever bigger share of supplies to major supermarkets, including Tesco which recently increased its purchases from the company by 25 per cent.
Septuagenarian John Campbell began it all 45 years ago when he left the family farm in Argyll to run a small door-to-door egg sales enterprise.
In 2004 Glenrath declared profits of £4.2 million on a turnover of £22.7 million. The company report revealed: “Our existing facilities are already one of the most modern in Europe. New developments are also being pursued for free range production as this continues to be the largest individual growth area.”
In the last five years the company claims to have invested £12 million in new technology. In 2003 Mr Campbell awarded himself an 1100 per cent pay rise taking his salary from £91,000 to £1.1 million.
The Ranger attempted to speak to him about his Blyth Bridge plans but he declined to comment.
