Essex farmers say that "disastrous" pylon plans will destroy decades of their work and could put jobs at risk.
The Norwich to Tilbury Project is a proposal put forward by National Grid to reinforce the high-voltage power network in East Anglia between the existing substations at Norwich Main in Norfolk, Bramford in Suffolk, and Tilbury in Essex.
The project also aims to connect the massive expansion in new offshore wind generation off the Suffolk and Norfolk coast with the rest of the power grid.
Fordham and Wormingford-based farmers, Robert and Laura Strathern, who own more than 1500 acres of land across the area, including 1,000 acres to grow potatoes for their international Fairfield Crisps brand, said: "All our land within the proposed pylons route is part of a countryside stewardship scheme, which encourages wildlife and biodiversity to flourish.
"There are numerous areas of the farm dedicated to this scheme which are drilled with cover crops for wildlife.
"The pylons will cut straight through these areas and will seriously disrupt and likely destroy these habitats, including all wildlife within therm."
Mr Strathern added that each year, the land affected by the pylon plans yields over 2,000 tons of potatoes, which cannot easily be replaced and will leave the factory, which employs 50 staff, at risk of supply shortages.
Stephen March and his wife Jane, who have been working on their farm in West Bergholt and Little Horkesley for more than 30 years, added: "The Norwich to Tilbury project is planned to go right through the middle of our farm.
"The underground section of 650 metres will cover an area of over 10 acres during construction. All trees and hedges in its path will be destroyed, and replanting won’t be allowed over these cables.
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"If this project goes ahead, it will severely compromise this beautiful Fordham valley area, and all that we have achieved for nature improvement and wildlife over three decades will have been wasted.
"We will never again see our farm looking as it does now."
A spokesperson for National Grid said: “The Norwich to Tilbury project is part of the Great Grid Upgrade and is needed urgently to connect new green energy to the grid to ensure homes and businesses in East Anglia and across the country can benefit from more affordable, clean electricity.
“We understand that plans for new infrastructure can cause concern for nearby residents. That is why we held an additional stage of public consultation and will carefully consider the feedback alongside other environmental and community impacts. That will inform the developing plans for Norwich to Tilbury, which will be presented for further consultation next year.”
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