Extension planned for poultry farmers

Currently Poulton Farm at Minsterley has housing for 120,000 broiler chickens which they produce for the retail trade in seven crops a year.

The farm owners have been producing thousands of broiler chickens in two sheds since 2016.

However, keen to expand their enterprise, Dan and Mary Jones have applied to Shropshire Council's planning department for permission to build a further two sheds to increase numbers to 250,000.

The farm's main business is in the production of beef and sheep, with a small amount of crops grown for animal feed.

Current stock numbers are 130 cattle, including a suckler herd of 40 cows with the remainder being fattening cattle and a flock of 300 breeding ewes producing fat lambs. Just over 20 acres of land is utilised for feed barley with the rest down to grass leys.

The site on which the proposed sheds will stand has been recently used as grazing for the farm's herds.

A statement for planners prepared by Berry's said: "To ensure that the farming business remains viable for the younger generation the family decided to move into broiler production. This poultry unit has been operational since 2016 and now provides a vital income for the farming business and allowed them to restructure the farming business.

"The poultry site is located directly to the south of the existing farmyard at Poulton Farm and the proposed buildings will be built either side of the existing two sheds."

Environmental, highways, historic impact and ecological impact studies have been undertaken and there have been no objections.

A noise assessment concluded that there 'are no noise-related issues associated with the proposed extension to the Poulton Farm poultry farm which would prevent the proposals being granted planning permission'.

The plans will now be discussed by council officers and committee members at a date to be arranged.