Peats Ridge poultry farm proposal lodged with council

THE Central Coast’s expansion into the lucrative chicken meat sector continues with the latest proposal for a 24/7 poultry farm that would produce more than a million chooks a year.

More than a million chickens annually would be grown at a proposed new poultry farm.

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A POULTRY farm growing more than a million chooks a year could be built at Peats Ridge.

A development application for the intensive poultry operation growing poultry for meat has been lodged by Olivetree Grove Pty Ltd on land 3.4km south of the intersection of Peats Ridge Road and George Downes Drive at Peats Ridge.``

The application is for three large fully enclosed and climate controlled “tunnel” sheds which would each house 50,000 birds for a total of about 200,000 birds at any one time,

The farm would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week year round to supply chicken meat processor Baiada Enterprises.

Proposed location of new poultry growing operation at Peats Ridge.

The property is already being used for farming avocados and citrus and development application documents said the owners wanted to diversify their business.

The development represents the Central Coast’s continued expansion into the lucrative chicken meat sector.

According to Regional Development Australia’s most recent regional snapshot, 70 per cent of the $100 million annual value of agricultural production on the Central Coast comes from livestock slaughter — and most of that from poultry.

Inside an intensive chicken growing operation in Victoria.

Chicken meat is currently the most consumed meat in Australia with national production expected to increase to 1.32 million production tonnes in 2019-20.

The per capita consumption of chicken meat in Australia has increased ten-fold from 4.6 kilograms per person in 1965 to 47 kilograms in 2016.

Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and science estimates that chicken meat consumption in Australia will continue to rise, reaching 49.2 kilograms consumed per person in 2019-20.

The new farm would supply chicken meat processor Baiada. Picture by Peter Lorimer.

“ The proximity of the subject site to the necessary poultry industry support infrastructure, coupled with a mild climate and access to clean water supplies, secures the NSW Central Coast poultry production future in continuing to meet current and future contractual poultry (meat) growing demands while maintaining local employment opportunities not only on farm but those associated service industries that gain works from the presence of such local industry,” the application said.

Chicken meat is currently the most consumed meat in Australian.

If approved, the new enterprise would employ two full time staff — one of them living permanently on site to manage the operation.

Among the potential impacts of the development are odour, noise, dust and traffic — but the applicant states these will be within regulations.

The applicant also states that the operation poses little risk to water resources or groundwater.

People have until December 10 to lodge submissions on the poultry farm DA.

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