PROSTESTERS will stage a demonstration against plans for a chicken farm housing up to 80,000 birds on Thursday as councillors consider the proposals for a second time.

Members of Worcestershire Vegans and Veggies will be outside the Civic Centre, Pershore, from 3pm for an hour urging Wychavon District Council’s planning committee to reject the application.

It is the second time applicant Edward Davies has submitted the plans for the two intensive broiler units, each housing 40,000 chickens, on land near Froghall bungalow, in Naunton Road, Upton Snodsbury, near Worcester.

Initial plans were withdrawn in July but were resubmitted within weeks.

Worcestershire Vegans and Veggies spokesman Ronald Lee called for the rejection of the plans not only here but across the country, urging people to stop eating chicken all together.

He said: “The chickens in such units are forced to spend their lives in sheds that reek of ammonia, with tens of thousands of other birds. They are dosed with antibiotics because of the high risk of disease and bred to grow so large so fast that many become crippled under their own weight and suffer organ failure.

“Not only do we not want this broiler farm to be constructed near Upton Snodsbury, we do not want these terrible places to be built or exist anywhere, which will sadly continue to happen for as long as people consume the chickens they produce.”

Application documents say the plan is a “small scale poultry unit” that is “not within an environmentally sensitive area”.

The documents read: “Pollution and other nuisances have been carefully considered as part of the development.

“Odour, noise, drainage and ecology reports confirm that the site does not present the potential for unacceptable impacts.”

However, the plans have also raised concern among local residents.

Mike Rowe, who is part of the Wychavon Parishes Action Group, which was set up to oppose the chicken farm plans, said they would be speaking against the plans at the meeting.

“We feel the flood risk has been completely underestimated and the risk of pollution to the area,” he said.

“We carried out a financial analysis and economic survey. Three jobs are at risk if this goes ahead.

“The third problem is they haven’t demonstrated compliance with the Econ 7c policy, that there is need for this to be built on greenfield land. Within the community, more than 70 per cent of the households have objected. This has been dismissed or ignored. We feel we have some good arguments. Hopefully the councillors will be courageous and take the right decision.”