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Turkey Farm Set for Massive Expansion Into Egg Mega Farm – Object Now!

Plans submitted to Breckland Council would transform an existing turkey breeding operation at Great Palgrave Farm, Sporle, Norfolk, into a much larger broiler breeder egg production facility holding more than 38,000 birds. 

Jo-Anne McArthur / Sibanye Trust / We Animals

The current turkey buildings are reportedly nearing the end of their “operational life”. Instead of using this opportunity to move towards sustainable plant farming, the applicant wants to continue exploiting birds on an even bigger scale. Tell the council to reject this cruel proposal. 
 

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Someone, Not Something

Chickens are intelligent, social animals who form friendships, recognise familiar faces, and enjoy exploring their surroundings. They feel pain, fear, joy, and distress, just as dogs, cats, and humans do.

Yet birds confined in industrial farming facilities like the one being proposed are denied everything that makes their lives worth living. Instead of scratching in the dirt, dustbathing, and engaging in natural behaviours, they spend their lives crammed inside giant sheds until their exhausted bodies give up and they are sent to slaughter.

A Lifetime of Suffering

The proposed development would involve demolishing existing turkey breeding buildings and constructing three houses for a breeder egg production unit capable of holding around 38,100 birds – more than 14 times the number in the current buildings. They will be exploited for their eggs, with their offspring raised for meat. 

Chickens used for breeding have been selectively bred to produce babies who grow unnaturally fast for the meat industry. To prevent them from becoming overweight, many birds are subjected to chronic food restriction, leaving them constantly hungry throughout their lives.

A Violent End

Chickens used for breeding are eventually transported to slaughter once their exhausted bodies slow down and they are no longer considered profitable, at around just 14 months old.

Workers typically catch the birds, load them onto vehicles, and transport them to slaughterhouses, where they are killed. They may be gassed or hung upside down and have their throats cut. 

Risks to Public Health

Industrial poultry facilities confine thousands of animals in a single location. The UK continues to face outbreaks of avian influenza, and intensive farms can create conditions that allow diseases to spread rapidly among stressed and closely confined birds.

Many experts have warned that future pandemics may emerge from the intensive confinement of animals. Bird flu, which started on farms, is regarded as a significant existential threat worldwide. 

Harm to the Environment

Large-scale poultry farming generates significant amounts of waste that can release ammonia and other pollutants into the surrounding environment.

Ammonia emissions can damage sensitive habitats, affect biodiversity, and contribute to poor air quality. Poultry operations may also increase the risk of pollution entering nearby land and water through waste management issues and agricultural run-off.
 

Take Action

Please sign the petition urging Breckland Council to reject this proposal.

Please use your full name and email address. Invalid entries will be removed from the petition. Please note that the council may publish your name alongside comments relating to this application.
 

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Sign the Petition Today

UN MIS Petition Description Text - *Important Note* You must UNLINK this shared library component before making page-specific customizations.

Re: Planning application PL/2026/0876/FMAJ

Dear Cllr Greengrass,

We are writing in relation to planning application PL/2026/0876/FMAJ, which seeks permission for the demolition of existing turkey breeder buildings and their replacement with a broiler breeder fertile egg production unit and associated infrastructure at Great Palgrave Farm, South Acre Road, Sporle.
We object to this proposal for the following reasons:

• The development would replace one intensive animal farming operation with another, larger one, perpetuating the exploitation of thousands of sentient animals rather than supporting a transition towards sustainable plant farming.

• The existing turkey breeder facilities are reportedly nearing the end of their operational life. This presents an opportunity to move away from animal agriculture altogether, not expand it. 

• Operations at the site, including the housing of more than 38,000 birds and the management of animal waste, would likely generate unpleasant odours that could affect nearby residents and their quality of life.

• Large quantities of ammonia would be released from birds' waste. Ammonia emissions can negatively affect air quality and may harm local wildlife, sensitive habitats, and human health.

• The development would require vehicle movements associated with feed deliveries, egg collection, waste management, and other farming operations. Increased traffic on rural roads could create nuisance, noise, safety concerns, and additional emissions.

• The proposal would not support climate goals. Animal agriculture is a main driver of greenhouse gas emissions, and councils should encourage a shift towards more sustainable forms of food production rather than approving new intensive animal farms.

• The UK does not need more factory farms. As demand for plant-based foods continues to increase, support should be directed towards crop production and other sustainable, non-animal agricultural enterprises.

• Intensive poultry facilities can act as breeding grounds for disease. Continued outbreaks of avian influenza demonstrate the public health risks associated with keeping large numbers of birds in close confinement.

• The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 recognises animals as sentient beings capable of experiencing pain and suffering. Birds confined on facilities such as the one proposed would be denied the opportunity to perform  natural behaviours and would  be slaughtered when they are no longer commercially useful at around just 14 months old.

We urge you to consider these concerns when determining this application and to reject this proposal.

Yours sincerely,
 

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