General News
30 May, 2025
Council oppose chook farms
Council have answered the year-long question for one contentious broiler farm with "enough is enough" — but they were too late.
In the ongoing saga of a year old broiler farm application, the Central Goldfields Shire council have refused the chicken “factory” — although that decision is now out of their hands.
At Wednesday night’s council meeting, councillors unanimously refused the controversial broiler farm planning application for 705 Baringhup Road, Carisbrook.
However, the councillors’ decision comes a month too late. The planning decision now rests with VCAT following the applicants, Ian and Robert Hurse, application to the tribunal due to the shire’s failure to decide.
Without decision-making power council’s recent decision, while a win for the 39 objectors, will not decide the fate of the Baringhup Road broiler farm.
In strong opposition to the planning application, councillor Gerard Murphy’s message to the applicants was clear.
“I say to the applicants, Ian and Robert Hurse, enough is enough,” he said.
Cr Murphy’s message follows an application for another broiler farm in the area last month and Pavilion Farms owner Michael Vukadinovic, whose farms are on Hurse land, sharing his intention to continue expanding.
“We intend to build more farms [and a bio gas plant] there because it’s the perfect location,” he said.
Cr Murphy recognised the impact of Pavilion’s three operating broiler farms on nearby residents whose concerns included amenity through to impacts of increased truck traffic.
“There are true concerns. We’ve heard these concerns,” he said.
Councillor Ben Green, who seconded the motion, was concerned about the many “substantial” impacts on local residents outlined in their submissions.
“It’s not just one chicken farm, we must take into account an accumulation of these adverse impacts,” he said.
Cr Murphy was also concerned that “things” happening at Pavilion’s existing farms would continue at the proposed site if the application was successful.
While the specifics of Cr Murphy’s comments are unclear, he may be referring to an ongoing compliance investigation coordinated by the council alongside the EPA into Pavilion Farms.
However, a council spokesperson told The Maryborough District Advertiser in March that any ongoing investigation into Pavilion Farms’ current broiler farms compliance with permit conditions couldn’t inform councillor’s decision making.
The councillors present refused the planning application unanimously echoing a community sentiment present when they refused ProTen’s broiler farm application in March.
“This is rather emotional for us, I don’t know if emotion should get into it, but we are here for our community,” Cr Murphy said.
Mr Vukadinovic declined to comment on council’s decision.
Councillors, alongside objectors, will now need to wait until late July for VCAT’s decision.
The hearing is expected to start on July 28 and go for eight days, although the dates are subject to change.
A second year-old application near the planned Castlemaine-Maryborough Rail Trail (CMRT), 3280 Pyrenees Highway, Carisbrook, has been placed on hold by the applicant pending VCAT’s decision on the “priority application”.
It remains unclear if Mr Vukadinovic plans to continue with this application however, considering his commitment in February to move the farm if CMRT went ahead — which it is.