STARS of TV soap opera Emmerdale have joined the campaign against a giant pig-farm.

Pauline Quirke, previously of hit BBC show Birds of a Feather, Lucy Pargeter, Roxanne Ghawam-Shahidi and Charley Webb, have now joined star of The Wire Dominic West in opposing the plans from Midland Pig Producers.

The firm has applied to Derbyshire County Council for permission to build the farm, which could house up to 25,000 animals, west of Woodland Drive, Foston.

It would use slurry from the site to generate electricity for the National Grid.

Protesters believe the company would not be able to properly look after so many animals and that the farm could cause health, traffic and flooding problems.

Ghawam-Shahidi, who plays Leyla Harding in the ITV soap, said that, in her view, farms like the Foston proposal "treat animals like machines".

She said: "I think the treatment animals receive inside intensive farms is barbaric and inhumane. If people saw how their meat was made inside them, they would be appalled. Anybody considering backing the plans should feel ashamed."

Pargeter, who plays Chas Dingle, used to rear pigs outdoors and said a "mega-farm" environment was not suitable. She said: "I know they are the most intelligent and sensitive of creatures.

"They need constant stimulation and interaction."

Quirke, who plays Hazel Rhodes, said she was "disgusted" by the application.

Webb, who plays Debbie Dingle, said she had been stunned to find this kind of large-scale farming exists.

Jim Davies, of Scropton and Foston Community Group, which is battling the proposals, said he was delighted the Emmerdale stars had joined the campaign.

He said: "It helps to have celebrities involved as it focuses the general public on something they may otherwise miss.

"We've already had great support from Dominic West but it's great to get support from people that bring the topics of farming and the countryside environment to the masses.

"We will be making efforts to invite them down to the site."

A Midland Pig Producers spokeswoman said the size of the British pig herd was reducing while the demand for pork remained high.

This, she said, meant more meat was being imported from Europe where "the welfare standards are not as high as those in the UK."

She said Midland Pig Producers' commitment to animal welfare, on the other hand, "has been acknowledged by highly credible organisations, including Compassion in World Farming".

She added: "Alongside other features, there will be generous space allowances for every pig on the site."