Another rabbit farm is being planned, this time not by T&S, but by a Mr. and Mrs. Krupa who have bought one of his “franchises” in Peterborough. “The Orchard”, Uffington Road, Barnack, Stamford.
We have been working with a concerned local activist and they have made some headway with strong local parish objection, but we are calling on you to help with registering objections.
This farm claims to aim to be an “ethical, free range” farm and expresses an interest in becoming ‘RSPCA Assured’ – however we all know using sentient beings for their bodies can never be ethical, and there is no humane way to kill someone who values their life and does not want to die. We also know that these assurance labels exist only to help convince the public that there is a right way to do the wrong thing, and you don’t need to go far to find exposés of cruelty and neglect on assured farms. RSPCA Assured have confirmed that they do not have an assurance scheme for rabbit farms and they do not plan to make one in the future due to the lack of legislation surrounding farmed rabbits.
The Krupas also plan to farm other innocent animals alongside rabbits – chickens, goats, alpacas and bees. This country needs less businesses exploiting animals, not more.
To object, please visit the following link and register your opposition using the form: https://planpa.peterborough.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=QVGIBYML0FN00
Alternatively you can email planningcontrol@peterborough.gov.uk – include the planning reference 21/00998/FUL and your full name and postal address in order for it to be valid. You have the right to request that your personal details be kept anonymous and not published on the planning portal if you wish.
We have written out some useful points for you to expand upon in your own words below – please note that making your own statement rather than copy and pasting will have the best effect.
Please keep in mind that unfortunately, moral objections do not carry any weight in planning applications however that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t voice your moral concerns alongside any ‘valid planning considerations’. Ask for welfare to be made a material consideration during the review of planning applications involving animals – particularly in the case of rabbit farms as there is no species-specific legislation protecting the welfare of rabbits in the UK, on farm or at slaughter.
– There has been huge public outcry regarding recent proposals for rabbit farms – tens of thousands have sent objections, signed petitions and attended demonstrations against them.
– Demand for rabbit meat in the UK is practically non-existent
– There are no UK slaughterhouses currently licensed to slaughter rabbits. So clearly, no “RSPCA Assured” rabbit slaughterhouses exist, contrary to what they claim in their application.
– So how will the rabbits be killed? Presumably, they’ll be slaughtered on-site as this would be the only available way.
– If slaughtered on-site, the rabbit meat will only be allowed by law to be sold within Peterborough and the adjoining counties (or no further than 50 kilometres from Peterborough’s border)
– How many rabbits do they expect to farm/kill yearly? If more than 10,000 a year it will contravene government regulations – so this needs close monitoring
– If slaughtering on-site, how will the waste ie. caracsses, blood and offal be disposed of – this is not outlined anywhere in the planning application and it presents a contamination risk to the area in terms of it entering the surrounding environment and creating foul odours, so disposal methods should be clearly outlined in the plans.
– There’s also the question whether ‘agricultural use’ can really stretch to include slaughtering.
– The production cap of 10,000 rabbits per year, for ‘small-scale suppliers’ means the applicant is exempt from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) rules for monitoring and reporting. Without FSA oversight with the presence of an Official Vet (OV) and CCTV monitoring in all areas where animals are present, there would be no day-to-day oversight of animal welfare, meat hygiene, food safety or safe waste disposal.
– There is no species-specific legislation in place to guarantee even minimum enforceable welfare standards for rabbits. The farm claims it will aim to be the “first UK supplier of RSPCA Assured rabbit meat” which is impossible as there is no rabbit farm assurance scheme due to the fact legislation is so lacking for rabbits.
– There are no measures outlined on how they plan to combat the spread of disease in the rabbits they intend to farm. There are no specific drugs licensed for use in rabbits in the UK, due in large part to the lack of rabbit farming here.
– Although Mr. and Mrs. Krupa claim that the rabbits will be farmed for meat and ‘never pelts’, will they still be profiting from selling the pelts? Is this deliberately unclear in the application? If they do intend to sell them as a ‘byproduct’, they would be fur farming ‘through the back door’ – a recent yougov poll revealed that the vast majority (93%) of people in Britain don’t wear real animal fur and support a Fur Free Britain.
– The location has been noted to be on a dangerous, narrow and busy road by local residents, which will be negatively impacted by an increase in traffic ie. from food delivery and waste disposal wagons. The road is single track and has no markings, making it unfit for commercial traffic.
– The proposal contravenes the local plan which states “The primary purposes of the envelopes, and the policies which apply within and outside them, are to prevent the spread of development into the countryside; to maintain the essential character of each settlement; and to control the growth within and outside each settlement in accordance with the settlement hierarchy in policy LP2.” The land concerned within this planning application sits outside of the envelope referred to in the Local Plan.
– The dwelling already on site is in contravention of the previous planning approval which required that if no successful farm was in place by 31.3.21, the building should be removed.
– There is a real concern that this proposal is all just a back door approach to get planning permission on this greenbelt site for it to be built upon. The area is very much undeveloped with no nearby houses, and locals believe this will lead to more of the beautiful countryside surrounding Barnack being destroyed for development.
– RSPCA Assured have confirmed that they do not have an assurance scheme for rabbit farms and they do not plan to make one in the future due to the lack of legislation surrounding farmed rabbits. The claims about being considered for this status in the planning documentation is therefore a blatant lie. RSPCA Assured state “The RSPCA does not have any meat rabbit standards. Limited standards and legislation in the UK make it impossible for us to offer certification.” “We have no plans (or capacity) to certify any rabbit farms in the foreseeable future.”