Loomberah farmers' smelly protest raises stink about feedlot proposal

Featuring a bucket of cow poo, the small demonstration was designed to get residents to imagine what it would be like to live next to a 1000-head feedlot.

Loomberah farmer and resident Carine Collison said she lives just two kilometres away from the proposed feedlot.

"We're concerned about the smell obviously," she said.

"You can see the flies going around that little bucket there. That's only about two hours of poo from one steer in a feedlot."

A development application for the 1000-head feedlot is currently before Tamworth Regional Council.

The residents asked locals to sign a petition asking councillors not to sign off on the project.

Wayne Collison said they hoped the cow manure, sourced from a local farm, would give people an idea what it would be like if the project does get the green light.

"Any sort of visual or olfactory prop gets people's attention. We're hoping that by having the manure there that it will attract people's attention," he said.

Mr Collison said the project was in the wrong place, and runoff could end up in the headwaters of the Calala Water Treatment Plant. The feedlot would be just 21 kilometers from Peel Street, he said.

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"We want to get some attention to council so the council knows that there are people out there who don't want this development approved. Because If they do approve it, it's a life sentence for us. We're going to have that feedlot and all the adverse affects of it for the rest of our lives. It's not there for five minutes, once it's approved, it's there forever," he said.

Owner Tony Haggarty said Goonoo Goonoo Pastoral Co is just following the ordinary process they're required to.

"We've lodged the relevant documents and the development application," he said.

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"Council has asked for some additional including some further modelling about odour. That information will be provided as soon as we've got it together.

"What we're proposing is an approved activity for that area, it's on rural land. We're not trying to push something into an area that's zoned for something else. It's a working farm. All we're trying to do is grow fodder on the farm and feed cattle as and when we need to."

Tamworth council Manager of Development Sam Lobsey said the development application is currently being reviewed by assessment staff.

"Any formal submissions, including petitions, in relation to the proposal will be considered during the review process and presented to council for consideration at a future council meeting," he said.

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