Council seeking submissions on Orini poultry farm
Waikato District Council is seeking submissions on a multi-tiered aviary system in Orini to be built by Mainland Poultry.
“Mainland Poultry have provided the required information and the application will go to limited notification. This means the owners and occupiers of the seven properties identified as affected have until 12 October 2018 to make a submission. A hearing may be held following the submission process,” Direct Animal Action said in a press release.
Mainland Poultry’s application to build a mega egg factory farm had been stalled since February this year following Council’s request for further technical reports to support the application.
Direct Animal Action spokesperson Deirdre Sims said a petition against the proposal has gathered over 20,000 signatures.
“New Zealanders clearly care about this and we’ll be presenting our petition to the Waikato District Council calling on them to decline Mainland’s proposal,” she said.
Mainland Poultry CEO Michael Guthrie told N8N earlier that after extensive research the multi-tiered aviary system was chosen for the Orini site because it is a world-class system and provides excellent housing for layer hens.
“We believe it balances the health and welfare of the hens with our ability to produce affordable eggs that are accessible to all New Zealanders.
“…This is not just our view as there is considerable science and evidence to back that up. The idea purported by animal activists that this system is crowded and not in the best interests of the hens is just untrue and ill informed.”
