MCU12/0184 - Submission - Georgia Bailey

Subject: MCU 12/0104 Submission for Cooroy Broiler Farm
From: Georgia Bailey
Date: 2014-08-27T09:01:48+00:00
To: Mailbox Council Mail

Georgia Bailey, PO Box 70, Pomona Q4568

Please consider this application very carefully. 


Please say NO to Cooroy Broiler Farm:

Although I have not yet been given the honorary title of "local" I have
been affiliated with the residents of Cooroy for nearly 15 years. I was
lucky to meet many of the locals when I opened the bookshop, Bookheaven,
in the millennium year. Over the seven years I owned and managed that
shop, I met people from all walks of life - most of them happy to live
in Cooroy, a place they could call home. 


Cooroy is a family town, with many families looking towards an
alternative lifestyle. They are happy with their small veggie patch, two
or three chickens to give them eggs, a small hobby farm that might
consist of a few cows, sheep, goats and pigs, as well as a small
orchard. These people are enjoying a sustainable lifestyle, one that
communes and collaborates with nature, the land, and living a lifestyle
that respects the local wild life. They enjoy the quiet roads and
countryside living, 


Saying "Yes" to a  broiler farm goes against everything these families
appreciate. Having stayed near a broiler farm, and having been in the
chicken business myself many years ago, I feel qualified to inform you
about: 


An odour that permeates for miles. This acrid smell can be so strong
that it hurts within the nostrils. It carries in the wind and it will
affect all neighbouring properties especially in the hotter days of
summer. 


The population of flies will increase significantly in surrounding
areas. They will travel and rest on other properties as the fly
population will explode exponentially to outreaching areas. 

Being on a hill means that chicken litter could still be washed into the
creeks, even if most of the litter will be transported out of the area.
Chicken litter is strong, pungent, and will burn foliage, including
around the creeks at the bottom of the hill. Furthermore, it will
endanger the local wildlife that live in these areas as they will not be
able to survive in such conditions. Even though the dead birds will be
stored in cold storage, no doubt a dead bird or two or three will also
end up in the creeks. In addition to chicken litter are the chemicals
and antibiotics that are fed to these birds. These chemicals and
antibiotics will end up in our waterways, adding to the water pollution.


The dust that is created from such a farm will contaminate the water of
all the local residences - residents that live on tank water. There is
no filtration that can compensate for this kind of contamination. Winds
will carry the dust and litter dust for miles. 


The trucks that carry the chickens will increase the risks on these
country roads. Large trucks should not travel regularly on any narrow
lanes and dirt roads. They create dust, carry the stench, carry the
flies on all the roads that they travel. They will be a danger to
locals, children traveling to and from school, and cyclists. Their mere
size makes their presence unacceptable especially in a small town.
Removing the litter by trucks.... to an unknown place (where is this? I
cannot find it on the map).... also increases the use of trucks and
roads, adding even more noise, odour, and dust pollution. 

I wonder if the impact on tourism has been considered. As people become
more aware of how their meat is "grown" the last thing they will want to
pass is huge chicken factory while on a meander in the country, nor have
to navigate huge refrigerated trucks on winding roads.  Tourists come to
the countryside to get away from the city and commune with nature and
the beach, walk the Noosa Trails, enjoy the ecological ground where we
live. Seeing giant trucks will bring tourists and locals back to the
reality of the uglier aspects of human consumption. Not only will
tourists be less likely to visit such an area, people will be less
likely to move to Cooroy, which may be another another concern for the
local area.


Lastly, and probably most importantly, (but apparently not considered
relevant): 


When I moved to Noosa Shire nearly 20 years ago, I was enthused by the
progressive and forward thinking approach of Noosa Council. I was
encouraged by the ethical and well considered decisions that were being
made; decisions that considered the land, the wildlife, and the people
together when choosing its shire's way forward. I felt that Noosa Shire
was leading the way in terms of ecological collaborative and co-creative
enterprise, by working with the land and the local resources. 


A commercial chicken farm that "breeds to feed" through enclosing
hundreds of thousands of birds in sheds is neither rural, progressive,
nor sustainable.   The Noosa Shire Council need to consider the noise
pollution, odor pollution, traffic hazards, contamination of waterways,
the death of wildlife  as acceptable by-products to an already unhealthy
form or farming. Nothing presented is either environmentally friendly
nor respectful to the biosphere. 


The type of farming that injects the birds the day before they are
killed to increase their size, and then again once slaughtered to
increase their size again is neither a healthy, ethical, nor sustainable
farming style.  The antibiotics, hormones, and chemicals used in this
form of farming are not only being given to the birds, they are being
fed to our children and grandchildren. 


Please consider very carefully: Do the residents of Noosa Shire really
want to have this kind of industry here? Surely our progressive stance
should edge more towards organic farming, co-creating with the
environment, working in tandem with our local residents and wildlife.?


Do we want chemical, hormone, dust, and odour pollution, greater danger
on the roads, water contamination, threat to wildlife, and accept a
style of farming  that is barely acceptable anymore? Is this what Noosa
Shire is willing to accept? I pray not! 

Georgia Bailey, PO box 70, Pomona, Q.4568