Something smells rotten in the heart of Norfolk

The noise and the smell from the recent expansion of the Cranswick processing site in Stow Bedon is causing huge distress for people living in the constituency.

In the radio interview below with Radio Norfolk, Ann Cuthbert eloquently sets out exactly what kind of pollution is being pumped into the air around Mid Norfolk.

For years there was a similar problem in Attleborough with Banham poultry which was ultimately only solved after the environment agency brought charges against the firm involved in 2021.

This can be solved with a proper air filtration system and proper walls to keep the pollution in the building, instead of flimsy curtains.

Unfortunately, very little is being done about this issue with Cranswick foods. There is a sense in the community that the close relationship between CEO Adam Crouch and the Conservative Party has led to a blind eye with regards to these pollution issues.

I would like to state that solving these issues of pollution is a top priority for me. Stow Bedon used to be in South West Norfolk constituency but is moving to Mid Norfolk at the general election.

Cranswick Foods have already been fined by the environment agency in 2019 for polluting the watercourse in Watton.

However, the environment agency now appear to be lacking the funds to investigate this matter properly. In her time as Minister for DEFRA Liz Truss presided over a £235m reduction in funding for the environment agency.

In July 2022 the environment agency stated at the Stow Bedon parish council meeting that “they could not provide equipment for the complainants to use to measure air quality as the equipment did not exist, and that whenever their officers attended they found no issue (although they had not actually been to the complainant's property). They also stressed that the EA was principally concerned with the impact on the environment, which included flora and fauna, but did not cover the impact of odours on human life.”

The fact that the environment agency are not concerned with the impact “on human life” is deeply concerning to me and tells me that the environment agency needs a fundamental overhaul to re assess their priorities.

We have seen this time and time again where the impact on human life comes bottom of the list of priorities for this government. For example the nutrient neutrality rules from the EU which the government have yet to do anything about post Brexit. The refusal of the government to dredge rivers which is now causing widespread flooding. The sewage pollution in the rivers and seas. Solving these issues and the impact on human life should be the top priority for the environment agency.