To report the outcomes and recommendations of the Task and Finish Group on ‘The Impact of the Intensive Poultry Industry on Human Health and Wellbeing'.  The committee will be invited to consider the outcomes from the task and finish group and to decide if the recommendations should be submitted to the Cabinet.

The committee received the report of the Task and Finish Group on ‘The Impact of the Intensive Poultry Industry on Human Health and Wellbeing'.

On behalf of the committee, the Chairperson expressed thanks to the councillors and officers involved, and to the witnesses and members of the public for their contributions.

Councillor Felicity Norman, Chairperson of the Task and Finish Group, introduced the report, the key points included: the process had been interesting but the limited evidence available had been frustrating; the group had comprised lay people with no professional expertise in this area; attention was drawn to the sentence ‘We did not find enough evidence to conclude that Intensive Poultry Units (IPUs) are harmful to health, although there were many indications and much anecdotal evidence that this may be the case, especially the impact on mental health and wellbeing’; and further research was needed on this topic and related issues.

The key points of the discussion included:

1.           A concern was expressed about the level of government regulation and action.

2.           The absence of information was significant and the limited engagement of the Environment Agency was unfortunate, particularly the refusal of the request to identify ‘how many complaints concerning these IPU premises have there been in 2021/22 so far’ on the basis that it was ‘likely to involve a significant cost and diversion of resources from our other work’.

3.           The Chairperson acknowledged the subjective nature of odour nuisance but suggested that a sense check of modelled assessment against actual performance of an installation could provide additional assurance in the planning process for IPUs.  A committee member added that an independent consultant could be utilised to review the assessments provided in planning applications.

4.           The Chairperson considered that some of the recommendations may go beyond the original scope of the Task and Finish Group and others recommended to the committee should be directed to the executive.

5.           The Vice-Chairperson recognised that the report was well intentioned but expressed reservations about aspects of the content and tone, including:

a.           The need for a systematic review of the scientific literature.

b.           Caution and balance was important in terms of the absence of evidence.

c.            Some of the conclusions drawn were considered scientifically unsound.

d.           There was no breakdown by species and types of poultry production.

e.           In terms of flocks under 40,000 birds, there was a need to test the statement that ‘there are very few of these in the county’ given the requirement to register flocks over 50 birds.

f.             It was understood that there were limited resources but there was a need to be suitably critical if reports were to be used as a basis for policy making.

g.           There were broader questions about task and finish groups, including the need for methodology, research, and logical processing to inform conclusions and recommendations.

h.           The recommendation about engagement with relevant bodies was welcomed but this also needed to include producers.

i.             Statements made about anti-microbials were challenged, with an  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8