A major High Court judgment has quashed Shropshire Council’s decision to approve a 200,000-broiler unit in the River Severn catchment area near Shrewsbury.
The legal challenge succeeded in demonstrating that the council had failed to properly assess the environmental impacts of the development in the catchment.
The ruling, passed down on Wednesday (17 June), is being hailed by environmental campaigners as a turning point in agricultural planning, especially for units near river catchments.
The challenge was brought on by local campaigner and River Action board member Dr Alison Caffyn, with support from the charity River Action.
The court found that Shropshire Council failed on two critical fronts: Firstly, the council had not adequately considered the cumulative pollution effects of multiple intensive poultry units in one area.
Secondly, it failed to assess how waste from the proposed unit, including digestate from anaerobic digestion facilities, would be disposed of and impact local ecosystems.
The case highlighted what River Action described as “ecological death by thousands of tonnes of chicken muck”.
Dr Caffyn said the ruling clarifies how planning authorities must now approach agricultural developments in environmentally sensitive areas—by considering them collectively rather than in isolation.
River Action welcomed the decision, calling it a “watershed moment” for environmental governance and planning policy.
“This case exposes the systemic failures in how our planning system assesses the environmental toll of factory farms,” said the charity.
“It must now take a combined approach to new developments, with proper consideration for existing agricultural pressures.”
The organisation also pointed to a broader shift in legal recognition of agricultural pollution, noting that the High Court recently ruled in the NFU v Herefordshire Council case that farming manure constitutes industrial waste.
“We hope that today’s victory will be a turning point,” River Action said, “placing environmental protection at the heart of decision-making and delivering meaningful safeguards for our rivers and rural communities.”
The court’s decision to overturn the planning approval will not be appealed by Shropshire Council.
