Campaigners outside Kings Lynn Council building before the Methwold megafarm decision. Credit: Foodrise and Sustain.
A landmark victory in the fight to end factory farming in the UK.
The Campaign
Across the UK, communities are rising up against the spread of US-style megafarms. Meat and dairy production drive 12-20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making industrial livestock a major driver of the climate crisis. This campaign is working in solidarity with frontline communities to push for a UK-wide moratorium on new factory farms.
A major victory came with stopping one of Europe’s largest proposed megafarms, which would have housed over one million pigs and chickens in Methwold, Norfolk. Campaigners achieved this by applying the Supreme Court’s 2024 Finch decision, originally on fossil fuels, to the livestock sector for the first time.
Working with lawyers, local residents, NGOs, journalists, councillors and the local MP, Foodrise and Sustain submitted a formal objection and mobilised public submissions to the consultation, resulting in thousands of responses.
In April 2025, Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council unanimously rejected developer Cranswick Plc’s planning application.
More campaigners in Methwold outside the proposed site. Credit: Foodrise and Sustain.
We are delighted to be recognised by SMK. It’s recognition for communities across the UK that have been fighting to protect their communities from polluting factory farms. We won in Methwold because we worked together and proved that the law is on our side, and we won’t stop until every community is free from factory farming.”
Natasha Hurley
Deputy Director, Foodrise
The Change
The campaign successfully stopped Cranswick Plc’s plan to build a megafarm in Methwold, Norfolk, which would have slaughtered more than 714,000 chickens and 14,000 pigs a year, marking a turning point in the decline of intensive livestock production in the UK.
This landmark win sets a powerful precedent for others to legally challenge factory farms on climate grounds and has already inspired further action. In June 2025, a proposed factory farm in Shropshire, which would have farmed 230,000 chickens, was cancelled after River Action brought a case to the High Court. In August 2025, approval for another industrial-scale poultry development in Norfolk was overturned following legal pressure from Communities Against Factory Farming.
The campaign is a textbook example of effective campaigning against factory farming, showing how leveraging voices from campaigners, local communities, lawyers and politicians, and strong media engagement can drive positive change.
The Future
The campaign’s impact continues to grow. The Methwold community are generously supporting the campaign and other communities facing similar threats. MP Terry Jermy has called for a national inquiry, and investigative journalist investigations have shown multiple megafarm applications to be unlawful on climate grounds. “We will now shine a spotlight on the unlawful behaviour of the wider industry, use the precedent to help other communities, and ultimately make it as hard as possible to build new megafarms,” said Natasha. “This is an extraordinary legacy for a campaign that began with a few local residents refusing to be intimidated.”
Who else was involved?
Jan Palmer, Natasha Hurley, Foodrise, Lily O’Mara, Ruth Westcott, Sustain, Ruchi Parekh, Cornerstone Barristers, AGtivist, Jake White, WWF, Network for Social Change, and Environmental Funders Network.
