Cumbrian Bow Farm poultry farmer fined £20,000

- Published: 20 April, 2010

A chicken farmer from Cumbria has been fined £20,000 for not having an environmental permit.

Robert Norman, 66, from The Bow Farm near Carlisle, admitted operating an intensive chicken farming unit without an environmental permit, when he appeared before Carlisle magistrates.

The court heard that Norman was the first poultry farmer in the country to be fined for not having the Environment Agency permit.

Evidence was given that the Environment Agency gave Norman a year to fill out the forms, but he failed to do so. He did have the other required forms from Defra and the RSPCA.

Prosecutor Robert MacKay said: "The Environment Agency doesn’t rush these cases.

“This matter was left in limbo for more than a year before it was decided enough was enough. The man has done nothing to help himself.”

McKay said it had been calculated that Norman had saved a total of £16,000 in fees and reduced overheads by not buying the licence.

In mitigation, it was asserted that Norman now had the licence and had applied to increase the size of his flock from its current 100,000 to 230,000.

The offences took place between 2008 and 2009. The new legislation came into force in 2007.

>> RSPCA suspends broiler chicken farm from Freedom Food scheme

>> Boycott cheap chicken, says RSPCA

>> Farmer banned from keeping animals