Chicken farm company is pulling out of Shropshire

In a letter to its growers in Shropshire, Powys and Herefordshire, Avara Foods revealed there is no longer a future for the business in this area.

It said it will continue to honour the new builds that have recently been offered a letter of intent and any rebuilds to existing sites.

But the news casts doubts on a number of proposed chicken farms in the area.

Jonathan Roberts, chairman of Clungunford Parish Council, which has been fighting plans for a poultry unit in Hopton Heath, said he hopes the news will put an end to the controversial proposals.

In 2014 Shropshire Council granted permission for four poultry sheds at the farm in Hopton Heath, but it was overturned at a judicial review launched by the parish council.

The application returned and was subsequently refused by the authority and the decision went before the Planning Inspectorate which upheld the council's decision.

Last year the application was re-submitted once more.

Mr Roberts said: "There has been an explosion of these units in south Shropshire, Herefordshire and Powys because of the processing unit in Hereford.

Monstrosities

"Avara Foods run the whole operation but it appears there is no longer a demand. I don't see how Shropshire Council, at least in south of the county, can possibly pass anymore of these monstrosities.

"It is quite obvious the company is saying there is more than enough."

The letter, which was written by company's agricultural director John Reed, said the new business plan has concluded that there is a need for poultry housing in an area between the M5 and the A1 over the next two to three years.

He added: "We are also increasingly concerned about the size of large farms and individual poultry houses. Farms over 400,000 birds can create legal compliance issues over the catch to kill process and potentially compromise turnaround times, in the future we will therefore cap new farms to this volume."