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		</div><p>Large-scale pig farming could ruin the beautiful scenery near where Game Of Thrones was filmed, one of the actors has said.</p>
<p>Jerome Flynn plays Ser Bronn of the Blackwater in the hugely successful HBO fantasy series.</p>
<p>It was partly shot at dramatic locations around Northern Ireland.</p>
<p>Flynn said: <em>“It’s a majestic, beautiful land which, as soon as you bring in a factory farm, is completely ruined. It’s polluted.</em></p>
<p><em>“People won’t want to walk there anymore. It becomes dangerous for children to play there.</em></p>
<p><em>“Let’s subsidise the local farmers who want to ethically rear their animals and want to give them a life that’s worth living, the free life that they deserve.</em></p>
<p><em>“Let’s support them rather than pouring money into an industry which is threatening the whole balance of the ecosystem.”</em></p>
<p>Northern Ireland’s Audit Office, a public spending watchdog, has begun an investigation into payments which subsidise owners of anaerobic digesters which create electricity from animal waste.</p>
<p>Subsidies in Northern Ireland are more valuable than in the rest of the UK, campaigners against the process said.</p>
<p>Lobby group Farms Not Factories is concerned the green scheme aimed at reducing reliance on fossil fuels has encouraged the construction of large-scale farms.</p>
<p>It calls them “pig factories” in Northern Ireland and suggested 14 such facilities were seeking planning permission.</p>
<p>Digesters require significant amounts of animal waste to run.</p>
<p>They use the organic material to create a biogas like methane, which is then converted to electricity.</p>
<p>Payments to companies which generate electricity from renewables like biogas come from a levy on electricity bills.</p>
<p>Tracy Worcester, director of the Farms Not Factories campaign group, said: <em>“We can use the power of our purse to only buy from real farms, not animal factories.</em></p>
<p><em>“When buying pork, look for the high welfare labels Outdoor Bred, RSPCA Assured, Free Range or best of all Organic.</em></p>
<p><em>“When waste is produced by a moderate number of animals on a farm, it is not pollution but a fertiliser.”</em></p>
<p>The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) said there was no evidence the introduction of anaerobic digestion plants was driving growth in pig farming in the region.</p>
<p>UFU deputy-president Victor Chestnutt said: <em>“Northern Ireland prides itself on its small family farming structure.</em></p>
<p><em>“We are recognised globally as a world-class food producing region, punching far above our weight in many respects.</em></p>
<p><em>“When it comes to anaerobic digestion, there is no evidence to suggest that the introduction of AD plants have encouraged a growth in pig farming.</em></p>
<p><em>“Anyone saying so is clutching at straws and lacks a basic understanding of NI’s agricultural industry.”</em></p>
<p>He added: <em>“In terms of biogas yield, pig slurry only produces 15-25 m3/t compared to grass silage which produces 160-200 m3/t, which makes it unattractive for anaerobic digestion.</em></p>
<p><em>“It is also not accurate that Northern Ireland AD plants receive four times as much subsidy as those in GB.</em></p>
<p><em>“The two subsidy systems are set up differently and cannot be compared like-for-like.</em></p>
<p><em>“Up until mid-2014, sub-500kW AD plants in GB received 15.8p per kW hour in feed-in tariffs.</em></p>
<p><em>“These payments have reduced but AD plants in GB are eligible for other subsidy payments, like the renewable heat incentive scheme, which cannot be claimed in NI.</em></p>
<p><em>“There are many environmental and economic benefits to anaerobic digestion, which recycles agricultural and other organic wastes into renewable energy and natural fertiliser.</em></p>
<p><em>“It is a vital technology for decarbonising agriculture, managing waste and generating renewable energy in Northern Ireland.”</em></p>
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