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City approval for fowl trade

Staff ReporterNorth Coast Times

City staff have recommended the council approve the application from Barry Cocking for the farm on Carabooda Road, which was previously used for chicken meat production.

According to the agenda papers, Mr Cocking bought the 8.1ha property in 2009 and modified existing infrastructure to accommodate 150,000 chickens for caged egg production.

It said the sheds were about 20m from the property’s boundaries rather than 100m required under the Health Act, and on a smaller property than the recommended 20ha.

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‘The property contains a total of eight chicken sheds, five traditional naturally ventilated sheds and three fan forced tunnel ventilated sheds,’ the report to council said.

‘The City’s administration (health services) acknowledges that the existing setbacks and construction of the poultry sheds on this property do not meet the Environmental Code of Practice for Poultry Farms (2004).

‘(However) these sheds were built and in operation during the early 1980s before these codes were established.’

According to the report, the City received a complaint in early 2012 and inspected the site, but since then there had been no further complaints due to improved manure management.

It said administration staff would recommend approval with 16 conditions, including limiting the number of chickens to 150,000, regular removal of manure from the property and minimising odour levels.

At last week’s briefing session, city businesses director Karen Caple said if the council approved the offensive trade, it would be assessed annually.

Mr Cocking, who also owns Swan Valley Egg Farm, advertised the Carabooda application for an offensive trade in the Wanneroo-Joondalup Times in March 2012, inviting submissions to the City of Wanneroo, but none was received.

Tonight’s meeting will start at 7pm after deputations.