Plans for Rotorua egg farm unchanged

The building of a new free range egg farm near Rotorua should be finished mid-year. Photo / File

Sancra Farms officials say a rejected resource consent bid for a new egg farm near Patumahoe will not affect its planned free-range egg farm in Rotorua.

Late last year Sancra Farms had resource consent granted by the Rotorua Lakes Council to build a new free range egg farm in Hamurana, housing at least 25,000 hens and creating about 20 local jobs on a 50ha property on Kaharoa Rd.

Company director Stefan Craddock said the location was ideal for the expanding industry.

Just two days ago, Craddock Farms had a resource consent bid for a chicken egg layer farm of 310,000 birds in rural south Auckland rejected because Auckland Council planning commissioners believed the potential odour would be offensive and objectionable.

In a reserved decision, after a hearing that drew protesters dressed as chickens and posing in giant cages, the panel said they had visited the applicant's existing smaller farm to gauge the odour close to the source.

The Craddock Farms proposal for a Patumahoe site was for colony farming as an alternative to battery cages, which were banned from being newly installed in New Zealand in 2012. The proposal was for 10 sheds, each holding 31,000 hens housed in 60 hen colonies stacked five-high in three continuous rows.

Mr Craddock said he was "obviously disappointed" the consent was not granted, saying it was too early to say if he would appeal the decision.

But he said the decision had no bearing on his Rotorua egg farm.

"We haven't started building yet, but we still plan on having it up and running mid-year," he said.