Whyr Farm in Wiltshire is planning to build a massive industrial-scale farm on their land in Potterne, comparable in size to a supermarket, in a bid to rapidly expand its ‘beef’ production. The building covers over 2,000 square metres and will potentially confine hundreds of mother cows and their calves; 200 young cows under a year old, and many more older animals destined for the abattoir and supermarket shelves.

The Bodman family, who operate the established cow and pig farm in its current state, are now pushing to intensify their operations even further. This is no small development for the Bodmans, it is a major industrial factory farming operation, large enough to be classed as a “major application” by Wiltshire Council. We must stop them! This is an urgent opportunity to add your voices and pressure Wiltshire Council to not approve this expansion, which will lead to the suffering of hundreds of cows kept inside sheds so they can be fattened for slaughter. 

Submit your objection

The deadline for objections to Wiltshire Council is Thursday 22nd May.

‍Submit your objection today! 

We’ve outlined some key points for you to have the most impact: 

I object to the application of Whyr Farm (ref: PL/2025/09651) to expand with a new agricultural building and temporary siting of mobile home for associated workers on the following grounds:

• A significant rise in HGV traffic, creating nuisance, increased traffic and safety concerns for locals 
• The scale and siting of the development would harm the character of the open countryside, damaging the area’s natural landscape
• Odour, noise, and general disturbance would negatively impact residential amenity
• There is insufficient clarity on drainage and the management of slurry, posing a risk to local watercourses
• Such a development is fundamentally at odds with Wiltshire’s stated commitments to protect green spaces, enhance biodiversity, and promote sustainable farming
• Increased pressure on the local biodiversity with building work disturbing natural habitats and nesting birds
• There are many animal welfare concerns in such large scale farming systems often rely on restrictive and unnatural conditions
• There is no genuine agricultural need for this building, with it being an extension of an existing farm

If approved, this development would have serious consequences not only for cows, but also the  environment and local community.

It’s time to stop factory farms in their tracks. Please act quickly today.

As always, 

For the animals

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