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Iwi says they'll be 'stunk out' by giant chicken farm

Publish Date
Thu, 7 Jun 2018, 7:07AM
Tegel Foods wants to set up a large broiler chicken farm south of Dargaville. (Photo: Supplied)

Iwi says they'll be 'stunk out' by giant chicken farm

Publish Date
Thu, 7 Jun 2018, 7:07AM

A Northland community is set to fight beak and claw against a proposed Tegel chicken farm just south of Dargaville, bordering a marae.

Tegel held the first of a series of hui last night to discuss its plans, where community members stated the operation won't go ahead on their watch.

Kāpehu Marae chairwoman Margaret Mutu told Kate Hawkesby the Iwi feel it has been lied to about the plans.

She says their cemetery at Mititai is just 500 metres away from the closest shed on the farm.

"We'll be absolutely stunk out, polluted with the toxic discharges from both their sheds and from their huge chimneys that will be burning 40 tonnes of litter and excrement every day."

Mutu says the meeting had standing room only and her community at Mititai wants the entire operation moved offshore.

"We don't want it anywhere in this country, having talked to people around the country, nobody wants something of that size with that level of pollution anywhere in the country."

LISTEN ABOVE AS MARGARET MUTU SPEAKS TO KATE HAWKESBY

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