Youghal dairy farmer Tom Browne is applying for retention planning permission for a slatted shed with concrete yard, storage shed, walled concrete pit and all associated site works.

Documents lodged with Cork County Council on 13 June show that Browne is applying to retain 1,559sqm (16,780sq ft) of works at his farm in Knocknagappagh, Killeagh, Co Cork. The existing buildings extend to 13,702sqm (147,487sq ft) in floor space.

According to the application, the farm accommodates 1,073 cows, 260 weanlings and 390 calves, and the farmland under Browne’s control extends to 500ha (1,235ac). Tom Browne is well known in dairy circles and noted for dairy expansion on a large scale. In 1945, Browne’s parents relocated from west Cork to Killeagh, near Youghal, with just 15 cows.

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When Tom took over the family farm in 1975 the Brownes were milking 200 cows, and when quotas were introduced Tom left dairying to move into tillage.

He eventually returned to dairying using the Mulder quota, and by 2017 he and his son Simon had broken the 1,000-cow barrier.

This year, Browne said he will embark on a solar farm project with Danish multinational renewable energy giant Ørsted on his land.

Planning permission for that project was expected to be lodged in June, but has not materialised yet.

This article was edited on 26 June 2025 to reflect the fact the Browne family has confirmed that they are not exiting dairying.