PLANS for a veal farm in Stuckton near Fordingbridge have sparked fury among the villagers.

Hampshire County Council has bought Brooklands Farm in Stuckton as a “training farm” to farm the young beef cattle herd and to store dung and farm machinery equipment.

The 84-acre site includes a former milking parlour and mono-pitched barn, which will be replaced with three livestock barns, a storage barn, a barn extension, dung stead and yard extension for machine access.

But residents fear that their lives will be blighted by odour, flooding and waste from the high-intensity veal farm.

One resident, who does not wish to be named, claims neighbours were never told about a veal farm during the consultation and asked how a cash-strapped council can find more than £1m for the farm.

He said: “When the council consulted with residents it described the future use of the farm as being a training farm so that potential future farmers could gain a practical hands-on experience of running a farm.

“At that time of consultation the veal production unit was never mentioned. Now Stuckton village is going to get something completely different to a training farm – a purpose-built, high-intensity veal production farm in the middle of the village.

“The building work on the yard plus planned work and the land purchase by the council must be in the region of £2.25m – a lot of money for a cash-strapped council.

“I believe that there will be a big increase in large vehicle movements. There will be a large movement of waste products and a large amount of foodstuffs brought in by large lorries.

“There will be a fairly fast rotation of stock, with young calves being brought in at about two to four weeks old and then the older calf of about 24 weeks old being taken away to the slaughter house.”

The leader of Hampshire County Council and executive member for policy and resources, Cllr Roy Perry said: "The county council places great value on the importance of the county’s rural economy, small towns and villages and the vital role of farms and farmers across Hampshire.

"To support rural business and ensure that Hampshire’s farming industry remains strong in the 21st century, the county council owns a number of farms that are let out to new farmers learning the trade. These new farmers are supported during their tenancy while they gain experience, and then they move up the farming ladder, enabling the farm to be re-let to another new entrant to farming.

"Brooklands Farm has been bought by the County Council for £1.3 million as part of our estate management strategy ensuring there are enough farms in the right areas to meet demand. Over time the council’s land holdings change, to ensure that the best value is being achieved from the estate on behalf of taxpayers. We have recently made land available for sale in Eastleigh and Basingstoke, which has meant we can continue to acquire land.

"The tenants who are going to Brooklands Farm will be operating both beef and veal enterprises. The veal is produced to the highest welfare standards. The arrangements for waste are fully compliant with Environment Agency regulations and there is no reason to expect any significant smell or waste, beyond that normally associated with any working livestock farm.

"The place of our farms in the farming hierarchy is important. It’s a stepping stone for young farmers into farming and something we are proud to be able to continue in an agricultural county like Hampshire."