Residents fear rabbit farm plan in Nottinghamshire
- Published
Plans to build a barn for breeding rabbits has angered villagers in Nottinghamshire.
T&S Nurseries has submitted plans to Newark and Sherwood District Council to keep up to 1,100 rabbits at the site in Fiskerton.
Villagers voiced concerns over traffic and the environmental impact.
The company said it was responding to growing demand for rabbit meat and the site would comply with government guidelines.
It said that initially, two thirds to three quarters of the rabbits would be bred for meat but other Angora rabbits would be groomed for their fur.
This would be harvested by combing the animals every two to three weeks.
Transport concerns
More than 60 people from the villages of Fiskerton and Morton gathered for a meeting to oppose the plans earlier this week.
Tracy Annable, who lives next to the site, said: "We're concerned about the increased traffic on this single track road and also the environmental issues for the disposal of waste."
The site is currently used as a nursery for growing trees.
Philip Kerry, of T&S Nurseries, denied the move would lead to a significant increase in traffic.
He said: "Once every three weeks a van will take young rabbits away.
"But I have to say that we're also breeding Angora for the fibres and that's nothing to do with the meat industry at all."
The council will decide on 18 May whether to approve the plan.