TWO large poultry sheds housing more than 100,000 chickens look set to be built in the face of a strong backlash from animal rights activists .

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) previously launched  a petition which attracted more than 9,000 signatures urging Wrexham Council to reject plans to build two intensive poultry farming units at Mulsford Farm in Sarn.

However, approval for the facility on the Wrexham-Cheshire border, where chickens will be bred for meat production, has now been recommended by county planning officials.

PETA claims that it will condemn up to 760,000 birds a year to what it described as ‘a life of misery and a violent death’.

Elisa Allen, director of PETA UK, said: “Wrexham County Borough Council’s planning team must be held accountable for delivering this slap in the face to all local residents who strongly oppose having a factory-farm hellhole built near their homes – and for condemning hundreds of thousands of chickens who will never see the light of day or breathe fresh air to a life of utter misery.

“But since the council won’t do the right thing, it’s clear that those who object to treating animals as though they were inanimate objects on a production line have to take personal responsibility.

“They can do so by leaving chickens off their plates – because inhumane businesses collapse when consumers no longer support them.”

Nearby residents have also set up an action group to oppose the proposals by D J Huxley Farms Ltd, citing concerns over the noise and smell generated.

In a report which will go before planning committee members on Monday, Wrexham Council’s Head of Environment and Planning Lawrence Isted said that animal welfare was not a material planning consideration.

He said he was also satisfied that noise and odour levels would be mitigated by relevant control measures, and recommended that councillors approve the proposals subject to a Section 106 agreement being reached.

Mr Isted said:  “A number of representations have been received expressing

concern/objection to the development on animal welfare grounds.

“This is not a material planning consideration and it would be unreasonable to withhold planning permission on the grounds of these concerns.

“Animal welfare standards are regulated via other, non-planning controls that the operators of the site will need to adhere to.

“Because of the scale of the development an environmental permit will be required from Natural Resources Wales that will address possible impacts from the development in respect of emissions to water, air and land.

“Having visited similar types of development in the area, I am satisfied that the day to day operation of the proposed poultry unit will not generate significant levels of noise.”

He added that an odour assessment predicted that any smell produced would be ‘below benchmark levels’.