Store for dead deer halted by ‘illogical vegan nimbyism’

PLANS to store deer carcasses in a rural “larder” have been scrapped following a backlash which campaigners claim is “vegan nimbyism” .

United Utilities received dozens of complaints after it submitted plans to build the deer “larder” near Haweswater in the Lake District.

The facility would have seen deer carcasses dressed and hung before being sold as cuts of venison.

Residents writing to the Lake District National Park Authority to object claimed the plant, at the site of a former builders’ yard in Penrith, would produce upsetting sights and smells.

Diana Nicholson said: “The sight of carcasses being handled will be very offensive to some of the residents who are vegetarian and vegan and the smell can be both strong and unpleasant.”

Elinor Leckie added: “For 17 years I have enjoyed a delightful co-existence with various wildlife in proximity to my home, and to face the prospect of this facility is very distressing.” Others complained about the potential smell of carcasses and increased delivery traffic.

The application was withdrawn after the authority concluded that the “character and nature” of the facility would “unacceptably adversely affect” homes. But countryside campaigners have said the larder was needed to help control deer numbers. They said culling is integral to land management in the Lake District, as protection from overgrazing and safeguarding the existing herd.

Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said: “Overgrazing by deer has been having a huge impact on other species, as well as the biodiversity of our environment.

“Their numbers, which are higher in

‘The sight of carcasses being handled will be very offensive to some of the residents’

the UK than at any time since the Norman Conquest, must be controlled.

“Any steps taken to enhance the processing of this vastly sustainable source of food, should not prevented by illogical vegan nimbyism.”

The herd, thought to be the only pure-bred herd of red deer left in the UK, grazes across 10,000 hectares of land near Haweswater. It is culled during 36 weeks of the year.

A United Utilities spokesperson said: “There is still a requirement for a deer larder in the Haweswater area. We will be considering our options.”