A PLANNING application to construct a livestock building to house 1,000 straw-based pigs in Aberhafesp has been submitted to Powys County Council.

The applicant, J W Hopkins, of Bank Farm, wants to diversify his 300-acre beef and sheep farming business to include a non- intensive pig rearing operation to secure its future for the next generation.

A statement by planning consultants Ian Pick Associates, read: “A review of the business accounts for Bank Farm for the past three years paints a grim picture of the viability of traditional beef and sheep farming in rural Powys.

“As a result of the dire financial returns from traditional stock farming, the applicants have an essential requirement to diversify their business through investment in a new enterprise which is not reliant on subsidies.”

A pre-application consultation earlier this year received 14 letters from the community that raised issues such as odour, animal welfare and ethics.