River Action wins landmark High Court case against Shropshire Council over industrial chicken farm
The case was brought by local campaigner and River Action board member Dr Alison Caffyn.
Last updated 17th Jun 2025
Environmental campaigners have managed to get planning permission overturned for an expansion of a chicken farm. They took Shropshire Council to the High Court.
They got the 200000 bird poultry unit at Felton Butler, near Shrewsbury overturned after a two day hearing at the High Court in Cardiff.
Dr Alison Caffyn from River Action UK said: “There are nearly 65 chickens for every person in Shropshire and yet the council still thought we needed more. This ruling proves what we’ve said all along: the planning system has been putting our rivers at risk. This case is a win for communities across the UK who are standing up to the environmental degradation caused by industrial factory farming.”
“This ruling is a wake-up call,” said Emma Dearnaley, River Action’s Head of Legal.
She added “For too long, councils like Shropshire have been rubber-stamping intensive livestock farms without fully considering the damage they do to the surrounding environment. There are already far too many chickens in areas like the Severn and our rivers are choking on chicken muck. Today, the court drew a line: no more megafarms without looking at the bigger picture."
A Shropshire Council spokesperson said:
“We acknowledge today’s judgement and will now take some time to study it and consider its implications.”
((news))