Queensland Guidelines: Meat Chicken Farms - Department of ...

Table 1 – Buffer distances from meat chicken farm complexes and waste utilisation areas to
surface water and water supply storage (based on Seqwater Development Guidelines)
Feature
Separation
distance
(m)
Surveyed
bank of an
intermittent
water
course
Surveyed
bank of a
permanent
water
course
Water
supply
well,
bore
and/or
dam
Upper
flood
margin
level of
an urban
water
supply
storage
Wetlands
and tidal
waters
50 100 250 800 250 100
Other
surface
waters (not
covered by
the other
categories)
Fixed buffer distances required for a meat chicken farm complex from its property boundary and
public roads are shown in Table 2.
Table 2 – Buffer distances from meat chicken farm complexes to relevant features
Feature
Distance (m)
Non-rural zone (closest boundary) 300
Property boundary (within a rural zone) * 100
Public road – carrying > 50 vehicles per day 200
Public road – carrying < 50 vehicles per day 100
Notes:
1. The measuring point for a public road should be the surveyed boundaries of the road on the same side of the road
as the meat chicken farm operation.
2. Traffic volume excludes vehicles associated with the meat chicken farm.
3. These are fixed buffer distances.
* The fixed buffer distance to the property boundary applies to new meat chicken farm developments and not
to the expansion of existing meat chicken farms that have previously been approved with a lesser distance to
the property boundary. This fixed buffer distance to the property boundary has been included so that there is
sufficient distance between the meat chicken farm complex and the property boundary for the establishment
of vegetative buffers.
Fixed buffer distances required for spent litter utilisation areas from property boundaries and public
roads are shown in Table 3, depending on the type of utilisation system employed. Spent litter
utilisation areas are not included as part of the meat chicken farm complex because of the often
infrequent application of the spent litter and the diverse spread of application areas on a farm.
These distances are in addition to separation distances for the meat chicken farm complex and are
determined separately. The following categories describe the utilisation method employed, with the
specified buffer distances for each category listed in Table 3.
Category 1:
Category 2:
Spent litter that is spread immediately (i.e. not stockpiled/composted) and remains on the
soil surface for more than 24 hours (i.e. not immediately ploughed in).
Mechanical spreaders are used. The spread material remains on the soil surface for less
than 24 hours. Spent litter has been stockpiled prior to spreading.
Queensland Guidelines Meat Chicken Farms 44