Councils consider chicken farm plan
A chicken farm housing 242,000 birds is being proposed on the outskirts of a Waikato town.
But first, the company heading the new development must obtain consent from two councils.
Matamata Poultry Limited has applied to Matamata-Piako District Council for consent to establish and operate a new sixshed commercial free-range chicken farm, near Waharoa.
The operation of the facility will also require an air discharge consent from Waikato Regional Council.
A joint hearing between the two councils will be held on Wednesday, October 24, to discuss the bid.
Waikato Regional Council has recommended that the consent be granted, dependant on consent conditions being met.
The proposed 26.7 hectare farm will be at 466 Maiseys Rd and will have a rearing capacity of about 242,000 birds per production run.
The farm will raise chickens under contract for Inghams, which already has a factory in Matamata.
Neighbours surrounding the site were invited to lodge submissions on the proposal.
Of them, Marcodon Limited raised concerns in relation to odour and dust being expelled from the operation, and an increase of traffic on Maiseys Rd.
Leadons Farming Ltd raised concerns about the use and safety of Maiseys Rd, for the increased volume of traffic associated with the proposal, in particular the speed and size of traffic on the road.
Dust generated from meat chicken farming comprises of fragments of wood, excreta, feed and feather matter.
During the growth cycle, bird movement within the sheds disturbs the litter and creates airborne dust particles and feathers that are expelled through ventilation fans.
An Air Quality Assessment prepared by AECOM for Matamata Poultry Limited considered that dust particles ‘‘will not disperse any more than 100 to 200 metres from the source’’.
‘‘Typically any odours should be well diluted by the time they could reach any receptor, and therefore are unlikely to be considered offensive,’’ the statement said.
‘‘It is more likely for the submitter to smell rural type odours related to dairy farming than odours from the proposed chicken farm.’’
Maiseys Rd is defined as a ‘‘Local Road’’ in the District Plan and has a sealed carriageway.
The road is a ‘‘no exit’’, and carries a relatively low traffic volume, between 200 – 250 vehicles per day.
The proposed farm will increase traffic by an average of 4-5 heavy commercial vehicle movements per day. Peak movements of 8-10 heavy commercial vehicles are estimated.
Matamata Poultry Limited proposes to have chicks brought onto the site when they are one day old. They will be fed pellet food and supplied water through automatic systems.
The birds will remain indoors for about 19 to 21 days, and, after this time and during normal operations, birds will be free to roam the shed and yard areas.
The chickens will be harvested between day 31 and 38 of the growing cycle, and will be removed from the site one shed at a time, by specialist transport trucks and taken to the Ingham’s processing factory.
The sheds will then be stood down for seven to 10 days before a new batch of chicks is brought onto the site, depending on operational requirements from Inghams.
The application was first lodged with Waikato Regional Council on May 31, 2018 and with Matamata-Piako District Council on June 6, 2018, with the applicant seeking a 35-year consent term.
The joint Waikato Regional Council and Matamata-Piako District Council hearing will be held on Wednesday, October 24 from 10am at Walton Hall, 282 Walton Rd.