Plans for new calf buildings one of Pembrokeshire’s largest dairy farms, described as having near-five-star animal welfare despite previous concerns, have been given the go-ahead.

At the September 3 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, an application by Hugh James of Langdon Mill Farms Ltd for a calf building, weaned calf building, and associated yard areas, at Langdon Mill Farm, near Jeffreyston, Kilgetty was recommended for conditional approval.

The application was previously heard at the July meeting, again recommended for approval, but was deferred pending a site visit.

Ahead of that application, a supporting statement, through agent Reading Agricultural Consultants, said: “The holding currently has a milking herd of approximately 2,000 cows, which are housed indoors for the majority of the year, with dry cows [cows that are not lactating, prior to calving] and heifers grazed outdoors when weather and soil conditions permit.”

Currently, calves are reared at Langdon Mill Farm for two months before being transported off-site to be reared at a number of third-party farms in the area before being return later; the proposed 61.2m long calf building is required to accommodate young-stock, following separation from the cows, to two-months, with the 164.8m weaned calf building to be used for calves from two months to seven months.

The application said the proposals would “clearly make the enterprise more financially robust by reducing reliance on third party farms”.

16 letters of objection to the proposal have been received, raising concerns including claims the size of the operation is already out of keeping with the area, a potential impact on highway safety, environmental concerns including smell and claimed river pollution, a report for planners says.

Concerns were raised at the July committee meeting by objector Ian Dennis, a former vet of some four decades’ experience, who said the 2,000 cattle currently on site “are never allowed to graze,” the proposal, he said, would add another 1,000 cattle to the site.

“This is factory farming, an intensive livestock unit, no longer a farm.”

Speaking at the September meeting, Mr Dennis raised concerns about the potential pollution of nearby water sources from the development.

Following the site visit, an officer report is recommending conditional approval of the scheme said it “would enable efficiencies in the operation of an existing dairy farm business that will have associated environmental and animal welfare benefits”.

At the September meeting, Councillor Brian Hall, who later moved the application be approved, referred to the committee’s site visit.

“I was initially very concerned about the animals in the buildings, but once I looked in, I was very impressed by the condition of the cattle, they looked as if they had just come out of the barbers.

“On the basis of what I saw, the condition of the calves, in all honesty I have no hesitation in moving approval of the site, it’s got to happen so these farmers can increase their very successful operation.”

He was backed by Cllr Mark Carter, who said: “It’s a huge farm with lots of cows, it may be thought that big farms don’t equal a lot of welfare; in my past jobs I’ve driven a livestock lorry, the cows and calves all looked very healthy to me.

“The reason we’ve been told the shed is required is to effectively make a closed unit to minimise the effect of TB; TB is an absolute scourge for agriculture, to me this farm has got the right idea: they are not being moved around the county.

“I absolutely wholeheartedly agree with this application, I’ve no concerns about the welfare of the animals.”

While Councillor Jon Cole raised concerns about the ‘factory’ nature of the farming, Councillor John T Davies, himself a dairy farmer, supported the scheme.

“It is impressive, clearly the gent seemed to be very committed to animal welfare; this new building will make it significantly better as far as animal welfare is concerns, I certainly have no question marks whatsoever, it was no less than four-star, bordering on five-star.”

He said dairy farming was being forced to bigger farms due to economies of scale: “Whether you agree with industrial size farming or not, it exists; sadly in the world we now live in the market and supermarkets are now pushing in this direction – the milk prices at 30 years ago but the costs at 2024.”

The application was unanimously approved by committee members.