What requirements are necessary to change a cattle farm to a pig farm

Karen994

Hi All,

My brother has an opportunity to buy my uncles farm which is currently a cattle farm.

We have been doing some research and was thinking if this was to go ahead, to change the current use of a farm to a piggery.

What would the requirements be. We understand that
(1) planning permission would need to be sought as this would be a material change in the use of land or buildings, changing from a class 6 to a class 7 planning category. Looking at the exemption criteria it appears that if the pig housing structures are in excess of 100 square metres, a planning exemption is not available.
“Class 7 sets out the exemption limits for the housing of pigs, poultry and mink. These are 75 meters for individual structures and 100 meters on aggregate”

(2) A licence from the EPA and an EPA assessment would be required.

Is there anything else that would need consideration?

Thanks,
Karen

Markcheese

Well, for conventional pigs you wouldn't really need much land, but would need loads of specialist sheds...
Youd probably also need serious training and probably really good accountancy skills to prosper..

Nekarsulm

Up here in Cavan, an area with as many piggeries as anywhere, its been a tough few years.
Even with housing paid for over the years, lads are getting out.

_Brian

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Up here in Cavan, an area with as many piggeries as anywhere, its been a tough few years.
Even with housing paid for over the years, lads are getting out.

Something like 70-80% of the countries pigs come from Cavan and Monaghan.

The only successful piggery at the moment are the two who are milling their own feeds as well. This both seriously cuts costs but also gives valuable extra revenue in a tight business.

bogman_bass

Now is not the time to be basing you figures on pigs. Pig farming is going through a relivitve boom right now and even then it’s tight enough. There is good reason why we are down to around 300 pig farmers left in the country.

I says

Are ye fecking mad ya can loose money at the cattle as quick as loose it rearing pigs. And the smell isn’t as bad with cattle and the neighbors will still speak to ye.:):):);)

Markcheese

I says wrote: »

Are ye fecking mad ya can loose money at the cattle as quick as loose it rearing pigs. And the smell isn’t as bad with cattle and the neighbors will still speak to ye.:):):);)

If you loose a 10 a head on 60 to 80 cattle a year that's not good,
If you loose a 10 a head on 2 or 3 thousand pigs a year that's getting into disaster territory...