East Cork piggery on hold as seven parties lodge appeal

Darina Allen among objectors to Ballymacoda construction, with 3,400 people signing petition opposing Derra Farms' plans

Derra Farms is seeking to demolish an existing smaller piggery on the site to allow for the construction of a larger pig-rearing facility with a capacity for 4,224 animals. Picture: Daragh Mac Sweeney/Provision

Plans for an industrial-scale piggery with capacity for almost 4,300 animals in east Cork have been put on hold after seven parties lodged an appeal to try to block the development.

A local action group and a number of individuals, including several farmers living in the area, filed an appeal with An Bord Pleanála seeking to reverse the recent decision of Cork County Council to grant planning permission for the proposed development at Curraheen outside Ballymacoda, Co Cork.