Not properly made (late) submission Faith Wild MCU12/0184

Subject: tt bcs 1192 MCU12/0184 Submission Wild
From: Faith Wild
Date: 2013-08-19T05:52:08+00:00
To: Internet Mailbox Sunshine Coast Regional Council

The assessment Manager,                                       

                        Submission from 

Faith Wild
359 Cooroy Belli Creek Road,
Cooroy, 4563
Ph: 54477769

The following are my objections to the proposed chicken broiler farm.

ENVIRONMENT
There is a real and undeniable risk to the local creeks, Mary River and ultimately our water supply. There is no possible way that this waste can be contained on this steep slope. 
The seepage into the ground from toxic waste will pose a certain risk to the environment  and will be irreversible.
Health and environmental hazards will arise from ammonia and other toxic chemicals found in feed, manure and diseased animals.  
This intensive farm will attract wild dogs and other vermin.  There will be a need to address this and poisons are typically used, posing a serious danger to wildlife and also, the water table.  Nearby homes will be affected with vermin as well. 
This factory farm does NOT fit with the Noosa Shire and what we stand for. There needs to be an independent environmental impact study.

HEALTH
When animals are confined in this manner it creates disease, and you will see a cause and effect situation. The are real concerns about bird flu and various viruses crossing from poultry to humans. There can NEVER be a guarantee that this will not occur.
There are various law suits agains chicken producers. For example, in the town of Prairie Grove with a population of 2500, law suits are citing alarming  HIGH CANCER RATES among it's residents.  These rates of cancer are 50% higher than the national average. I myself, have just recovered from cancer and deem it to be my right to live in a healthy, non polluted environment. In fact, it is CRITICAL to my ongoing good health. There are people with asthma in this area and their health will certainly be compromised. People have reported headaches, nausea, and a myriad of other ailments when living near chicken farms.
Michael Spectre, a journalist, visited a chicken farm. He said "I was almost knocked to the ground by the overpowering smell of faeces and ammonia. My eyes burned, and so did my lungs, and I could neither see nor breathe".
If a visit is arranged to one of these farms, they will typically show it when the conditions are at their best. One should visit just before slaughter to see the REAL conditions. 
Not only are there concerns with the farm itself, but also with the pollution from the trucks using the area - both with noise, dust and toxic fumes.

ODOUR
People who live near these farms report that they can never open their windows, they cannot hang their washing out on the line,  they must turn A/c off in their car because the stench even invades this space. Their children cannot play outside.   Every human's basic right is to breath clean fresh air. It pervades every area of their life.  There is no possible way to contain the stench that will emanate from this farm. The wind will carry this stench for miles affecting many, many people adversely.  

NOISE
These chickens are typically transferred to transportation trucks for slaughter at night. The noise, particularly from this position, will travel for miles. Of course, there will be trucks travelling to and from the site in the late night hours and early hours of the  morning. This area is very very quiet at night and this will surely keep residents awake with these disturbances. The noise will travel for miles.
I see in the traffic report (not independent) that the disruption from these trucks will be minimal. They therefore admit there will be disruption. There is a very BIG difference between a family car and a b double going past my front door. The noise from exhaust brakes and engines will pervade the peace I moved here for.
How many trucks and how long will it take to remove the soil in the first stages of building? Is it a true and honest assessment of how many trucks will be using this road and will it be 7 days a week?

VISUAL POLLUTION
How many signs will have to be erected along our country roads warning of trucks, asking them to reduce excessive brake noise etc.  Our tourists will not be impressed with this eyesore.  Cooroy Belli Creek Road is quite lovely to drive along and this will affect the general ambience of the area. 
The lovely area will be decimated by the ugliness of these signs, sheds and associated buildings. 

SAFETY
There have already been 2 fatalities on Cooroy Belli Creek Road in the last couple of months. Police have cited the many drivers who cross the lines, endangering the lives of on- coming traffic. These very large trucks will pose a huge risk to residents and tourists alike.  We still do not know the route these trucks will take. They must travel past one school already and could travel past another one.  What about going past the hospital? What about the local residents? How are the trucks going to negotiate the roundabouts. There is already gridlock during peak times and even more traffic in the form of huge trucks will create more problems.
This is a cyclist training route, posing dangers to these road users. Who will take responsibility for a fatality along these winding and narrow roads involving these trucks? There is simply too much at stake to introduce these trucks to these roads.

ROAD DAMAGE
These roads are simply not designed for truck traffic. They are too narrow and trucks will inevitably have to travel on the shoulder of the road. Obviously they will cause dust problems, let alone damage to the road. 
Who will pay for the damage? How long will we have to wait to have this damage repaired? 
Top Forestry Road will have to be sealed. When it rains, the road  quickly turns to mud. Who will pay for this? 
The trucks will have difficulty using the roundabouts in town, causing them to cut the corners. How can we be assured that these trucks will stick to the route decided upon. 
If these trucks use residential roads, there will be structural damage to houses from the vibration of these trucks.

DUST
The ensuing dust problems will adversely affect the residents living here. The water supply will be contaminated and they will not be able to have clothes on the line. Their health will be compromised.

EMPLOYMENT
Even if people were employed from the local area, it does not offset the above concerns. In any case, it is understood that locals will not  be employed. It is usually back packers. 

CRUELTY
I know it is not taken into consideration of this application BUT, on a compassionate level it SHOULD be looked at.  Council should understand the intense suffering these birds undergo. 
Baby chicks are debeaked without anaesthetic to stop pecking at each other in overcrowded stressful conditions.
The have unnatural growth rates which put pressure on their immature skeletons. Many birds are not able to walk to  get to food or water which leads to starvation, disease and death. They are trampled on by other birds.
Due to their distorted anatomy, they are forced to crouch on the wet, ammonia sodden  floors, causing a painful condition called breast blister. 2% die of trauma and  illness which equates to thousands of birds. They can drown in their own fluid accumulated  in their lungs. The heart cannot cope with the rapid increase in body weight. 
As they get older, their entire space to exist on,  equates to an A4 piece of paper. The faeces and urine are not removed during the entire period and they are forced to live on top of it creating more health problems and terrible conditions. The air is polluted with dust, bacteria, fungal spores and ammonia.
At the time of slaughter, they are caught at night - 5 at a time and by the legs. At 300-500 birds per hour they simply cannot catch them humanely. Their legs can be fractured and hips dislocated to ad to their misery. They are then exposed to extreme heat, light or cold after living their entire lives in the dark. Many die during the transportation due to heart failure, trauma and blood loss due to haemorrhage from dislocated hips. During the killing process they can lift their heads, missing the electrified water which is meant to stun them. Some miss the electric knives meant to kill them and are lowered into scalding tanks whilst still alive. 
If a person treated their own chickens in this manner they would be prosecuted. 
Please take this into your personal consideration when making a decision.

PROPERTY VALUE
No-one would want to buy in this area and the value of our properties would be devalued. Research shows that houses are almost impossible to sell once a chicken farm has been established.

CONCLUSION
Is council willing to spend a great deal of money on independent impact assessments or are you just going to take the applicants  word for the many questions that need to be answered?  
There should be an independent traffic and environmental impact study done.
The risk to the environment, the safety of the local residents, the health of the community and the general well being of our community is at odds with this application.  
There are NO GUARANTEES from the applicant  that could be put forward to allay the associated risks of this project.  The price is too high to pay and once damage is done to the environment or the people who share it,  it will be too late and irreversible.
Are all the risks worth it? 
Are the profits of an individual more important than the legitimate concerns of local residents? 
This could set a precedent in the area, allowing other intensive factory farming which will be a disaster. What if he wants to expand in the future? It opens the floodgates to more intensive farming. 
We must remember that this is NOT FARMING - it is a factory!
It is obvious that there is much public opposition to this project on so many levels. Our concerns are real, and based on fact. 


I ask that you consider my concerns very seriously and reject this application.

Faith Wild