Massive chicken operation upgrades to climate-controlled sheds

An application to increase CQ’s largest egg farm to 165,000 chickens has been approved despite objections from some neighbours claiming potential issues with increased noise, dust, odours and traffic.

Generic egg farm. Stock Photo. Picture: Zoe Phillips

An application to increase Central Queensland’s largest egg farm to 165,000 chickens has been approved despite objections from some neighbours claiming potential issues with increased noise, dust, odours and traffic.

Peacefield Trust Pty Ltd intends to expand its Smalls Road Poultry Farm operation from 148,000 birds to 165,000 on its property 2.5km south of Mount Morgan’s commercial centre.

A Rockhampton Regional Council officer’s report on the development application listed concerns from residents including noise emissions from machinery such as automatic feeders as well as increased sound levels from the additional birds.

The proposed upgrade to the Smalls Road Poultry Farm will lift bird capacity to 165,000.

The officer said the poultry farm was the only commercial scale egg layer farm in the Central Queensland region and its ongoing operation was “crucial to secure the long-term supply of locally sourced barn-laid eggs in the region in the midst of a well-documented national egg shortage”.

He said the development was considered to be consistent with the purposes of the area’s rural zoning without impacting on the lifestyle of residents.

“Smalls Road Poultry Farm has operated on the site in some capacity since 1959 and is an established existing lawful land use in the context of the locality,“ the officer said.

“The development can be undertaken in a manner that mitigates potential impacts beyond the site and ensures environmental values on the site and surrounding areas are protected.”

No roosters will be housed on the farm.

The proposal includes construction of “Shed 4” which will have a footprint of 3,000 square metres (120 metres x 25 metres) and house up to 50,000

birds.

Five of seven existing poultry sheds will be demolished and replaced by two new egg layer sheds.

“With the changed shed design, the potential odour and dust emissions from the farm is not expected to result in any additional impact compared to historic operations on the site,“ the officer said.

The farm operates under the existing Environmental Authority approval for poultry farming (1,000 to 200,000 birds) which allows the new capacity of 165,000 birds.

The officer said that once the development was completed, most activities on the site, such as farm management, feed deliveries, egg collection and the like will occur during

daylight hours (6am – 6pm) and are expected to be consistent with the current operations.

He said limited operations outside of these hours may occasionally include the delivery and collection of birds to and from the farm at the beginning and end of each operational cycle.

Automatic feeders do not run between 8pm and 4am where the birds are expected to sleep, and the lights in the sheds will be switched off.

He said the replacement sheds were expected to improve environmental performance as:

The older sheds with open curtain sides and dirt floors will be replaced by modern, climate-controlled sheds with concrete floors which

reduces the amount of dust generated by bird activity within the sheds.

The proposed shed designs will incorporate improved climate control and litter management.

The incorporation of manure extraction belts allows for regular collection of manure from within the sheds (weekly) to reduce ammonia

build up, enhance air quality, improve animal welfare and reduce the risk of odour emissions compared to the old sheds.

In response to submissions, Peacefield Trust proposed to install a vegetated environmental buffer at the rear of the sheds to further

reduce the potential for odour impacts.

The nearest dwelling is located on the eastern side of Smalls Road approximately 70 metres from the existing farm

buildings. The nearest dwellings to the proposed new Shed 4 are located approximately 200

metres to the northeast on Smalls R and 350 metres to the northwest on Keimar Rd.

After considering the report, council voted to approval the expansion.