About 100 people turned out for the protest. Photo / Michael Cunningham
About 100 people turned out for the protest. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Opposition to a proposed broiler chicken farm in Northland are ramping up, with a protest march through central Dargaville attracting about 100 people.
The protesters gathered at the Dargaville Boating Club about 12.30pm today before marching down Victoria St and to the Kaipara District Council where mayor Jason Smith addressedthem.
They are fighting plans by poultry giant Tegel Foods to set up a broiler chicken farm in Arapohue, just outside Dargaville, that could stock up to 1.3 million birds and employ 32 people.
Public submissions on resource consents lodged with the KDC and the Northland Regional Council close on Wednesday next week. Those opposed to Tegel's plans, especially residents on nearby Mititai Rd and Whakahara Rd whose properties border the proposed chicken farm, are concerned about the smell, pollution, air and water quality and possible los of their property values.
The organiser of the protest, Kerry Wilson, was happy with the turnout and said a lot of people were up in arms over the proposed chicken farm.
"This is about getting word out there for people to make submissions. People here have notified those living outside Northland and overseas to make submissions.
Ms Wilson said another protest was planned because some people could not make banners for today's march.
About half a dozen students from Dargaville High School and members of the Kapehu Marae in Arapohue were among those who attended the march.
The chicken farm's boundary would be only 5m from the marae's wharenui and about 350m from the urupa.
Protest organiser Kerry Wilson leads about 100 people through central Dargaville as opposition to a proposed chicken farm ramps up. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Marae member Betty Shine said Tegel's operation would affect the marae so greatly it may not be able to operate.
"Air pollution is going to contaminate our water supply and we al know how important water is for everyone. Then there's going to be noise from excavation they'll do to get limestone.
Ms Shine said the marae has not been consulted by Tegel and that it rejected its application.
A protester, Rosie Donovan, said the turnout was great in the middle of a working day considering people had little notice and the fact the Field Days were on.
She said it was pleasing to note people from as far away as Te Kopuru and Hokianga turned up.
The mayor welcomed the protesters and urged them to make submissions on Tegel's proposal as required by the Resource Management Act.
"It was a fantastic display of energy by the community, an awesome civic engagement and that's a positive," Mr Smith said.
He said people, irrespective of their stand on the issue, still had time to make their submissions.
"Some people seem to have the point of view that their voices didn't matter. People were assuming there's no way they can affect the process but they can through making submissions.
"I told them don't count their chickens before they hatch. No one has built a thing. This is a planning process both councils are simply working through," Mr Smith said.
The proposed chicken farm will have 32 free range sheds with each containing 41,400 birds.
In its resource consent applications, Tegel detailed how the bird droppings - or litter - would be disposed of and plans to minimise smell from sheds.
Droppings and dead birds removed from the sheds would be burned in two purpose-built boilers in an energy centre. Heat produced in the centre would be used to heat the sheds and minimise the moisture content of droppings, reducing the smell.
The centre would be able to combust 40 tonnes of litter per day.
The resource consent states up to six weeks of litter of about 1700 tonnes would be stored in three manure bays within the energy centre.
