Councils Approve Polluting Megafarms, Ignore Climate Impact

In the past year, local councils across the UK have been approving plans for intensive livestock "megafarms" without properly considering their climate impacts. A review of 35 proposed developments in major farming counties found that the vast majority of applications routinely ignored or downplayed the industry's significant carbon footprint.

If all the applications analyzed were accepted, it would result in an additional 30,000 pigs and nearly 5 million chickens being farmed across England, Northern Ireland and Wales - amounting to over 37 million additional animals reared in the UK each year. Sustain, the advocacy group that conducted the research, estimates this could generate 634,000 tons of CO2-equivalent emissions annually, the equivalent of 488,000 return flights from London to New York.

However, none of the 35 applications provided any figures on the likely emissions from the proposed farms, despite councils being required to factor in climate harms in planning decisions. While some councils have denied permits due to lack of climate assessments, others have approved six farms that provided no specific information on their climate impacts in the past 12 months.

Campaigners argue that agribusinesses are deliberately withholding emissions data to avoid scrutiny and maximize profits at the expense of local communities. With growing public pressure, the tide may be turning, as evidenced by the first-known refusal of a megafarm permit on climate grounds earlier this year. But the research suggests many more polluting developments are still slipping through the system unchecked.