Shropshire chicken unit plan to house 150,000 birds
A chicken broiler unit that would house 150,000 birds could be built in the Shropshire countryside to breathe new life into a free range egg business.
Plans have been submitted to Shropshire Council for the scheme at Meadowland Poultry, Sleap, near Wem.
The new venture would consist of three broiler units to hold 50,000 birds each, potentially creating 2,366 tonnes of poultry meat per year.
Peter Richards, from Peter Richards & Co Property Consultants in Prees Heath, prepared the planning application on behalf of Meadowland Poultry.
He said that the new business would mean that the site would be utilised more efficiently.
He said: "Meadowlands Poultry do not have a processor lined up but there are a number of processors interested as there is a national shortage of poultry in the UK.
"If the application is successful then they will look to sign a deal. There is current capacity for 20,000 laying birds but it is a tired site so this is an opportunity to construct a more efficient farm."
One more full-time employee would be taken on at the farm, which would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
But Mr Richards said that in total the process would create the equivalent of five full-time jobs plus indirect employment associated with veterinary, engineering and food processing.
The chickens would be grown over 42 days with a six-day turnaround period, meaning there would be 7.6 crops per year.
They would be delivered and collected in loads of 50,000 birds during the early hours of the morning to avoid peak traffic in the area.
The broiler units would be built on land that is currently used for grazing.
