Couple announce bizarre plan to breed guinea pigs for food on remote Welsh farm
Dave and Mayu Phillips have been granted planning permission by Pembrokeshire County Council to build an eco-home in rural Wales, with plans to breed and eat guinea pigs raised on their land. The couple will also raise pigeons and rabbits for food as part of their effort to live sustainably on the site in south Pembrokeshire, near the coastal towns of Tenby and Saundersfoot.
The development includes a low-impact home along with increased production of honey and walnuts on the land. At a planning committee meeting, Mr Phillips explained that his family have lived in Pembrokeshire for generations and that he believes the project is his way of contributing positively to its future.
When questioned about the guinea pig plans, Mr Phillips was keen to distinguish them from pets. "They're not like the guinea pigs people have as pets, it's completely different. It's just like a big rabbit and we've got experience for years now we've bred them. They're bred for meat very similar to breeding rabbits for meat, very similar."
The proposals fall under One Planet Development, a Welsh planning policy designed to encourage people to live and work sustainably on their own land. This policy allows building to go ahead on rural sites that may otherwise not be permitted for development. The scheme was adopted by the Welsh government in 2011 as part of its One Wales One Planet initiative.
Mr Phillips told the committee: "My wife and I are very deeply passionate about the One Planet movement and the principles behind the One Planet development. Today humanity is living as if we've got several more planet Earths just waiting in the wings. The reality is we only have one planet. We can spread awareness of this problem but also take practical steps towards living more sustainably."
One Planet Development is quantified by ecological footprinting, which reveals how much of the Earth's resources people are consuming. When households reduce their own ecological footprints, this helps their country reduce its overall footprint.