Help Us Stop This Industrial Pig Farm–Protect Our Community

Help Us Stop This Industrial Pig Farm, Protect Our People, Our Area And Our Wildlife!

Meath County Council has recently granted permission for the completion of an industrial-scale pig fattening unit in the quiet rural community at Drakestown, Castletown, Co Meath. This decision, if it stands, would change the nature of the area for ever.

We cannot allow this to happen.

Who We Are & Why We Are Fighting

We are the Drakestown Community Group, a close knit and determined rural community near Castletown Kilpatrick Village, just off the Navan-Kingscourt Greenway.

This development isn’t just a pig farm—it’s a massive industrial facility, bringing with it pollution, ground water contamination, disease risk, and destruction of our natural heritage. Other counties have already said NO to new piggeries on greenfield sites, recognising the damage they cause. If this piggery is allowed to go ahead, it sets a dangerous precedent for more industrial-scale pig units in this area of Co. Meath.

The Hard Evidence – What the Experts Say

We have already engaged legal, agricultural, ecological, and planning experts who have exposed disturbing detail about this development:

The Devastating Impact of This Development

This pig unit will cause widespread damage:

❌ Threat to Health – Contamination of air and water with ammonia, anti biotic residues and antibiotic-resistant pathogens

❌ Environmental Destruction - Pig farming is regarded as a potential significant source of pollution – to habitats, air and ground waters

❌ Animal Welfare Concerns – Outdated, non-compliant design that does not meet modern pig welfare standards.

❌ Water Contamination – Slurry spreading in unknown locations, posing a high risk to drinking water, local wells and protected sites at the rivers Boyne and Blackwater

❌ Increased Traffic & Infrastructure Strain – Large trucks carrying Pigs, feed, and slurry will clog narrow rural roads, making them more dangerous.

Wildlife Impact - The Barn Owl

The endangered Barn Owl is known to use the hedgerows in this area. A representative from Birdwatch Ireland has confirmed that barn owl populations have been devastated in areas where industrial pig and poultry farms have been introduced.

Barn owls depend entirely on rodents for survival, but these factory farms:

⚠️ Create massive rodent infestations, making them breeding grounds for rats and mice.

⚠️Use large quantities of poisons, leading to secondary poisoning of barn owls and other birds of prey.

⚠️ Destroy natural hunting habitats, leaving these iconic birds to starve.

We are proud custodians of a diverse range of bird species and wildlife, flora and fauna, some of which are endangered or have only recently recovered. This piggery threatens to reverse years of conservation efforts in one reckless decision.

We Are Taking Action – But We Need Your Help

We have already submitted an appeal to An Bord Pleanála, and we are preparing to take further legal action if necessary.

But fighting for our environment costs money.

We Need Your Support to Win This Battle

Your donation will help us:

• Fund legal action to overturn this disastrous decision.

• Pay for expert environmental assessments to strengthen our case.

• Raise public awareness and challenge this environmental destruction

Don’t take our word for it, see for yourself: Verify Our Claims & Join the Fight

This isn’t just our opinion—the facts speak for themselves. You can see the official planning documents here:

Act Now – Every Donation Makes a Difference!

If we don’t fight back, this won’t stop here. More industrial pig units will follow. More pollution, more destruction, more harm.

We have a dedicated email account for correspondence, contact us by clicking on 'Contact Us' under the Organizer heading . If you have any questions, please reach out.

Thank you for caring. Thank you for fighting alongside us.