To help meet the growing demand for UK-produced free range eggs, egg packer Fridays is proposing to create a new farm south of Maidstone.
Fridays, a third generation family business based in Cranbrook, and one of the country’s largest free range egg producers, is proposing to invest £8m to create three industry-leading hen houses.
The proposed Wealden Woods Free Range Farm is on land at Reed Court Farm at Chainhurst, near Hunton, and Fridays’ plans include the planting of 36,000 trees to create 20 hectares of new woodland and woodland pasture with a mix of native species.
Alongside the tree planting the hen houses will be fitted with solar panels. The aim is for the operation of the Wealden Woods free range farm to be carbon neutral.
Each of the proposed three hen houses would have a dedicated range area and accommodate up to 64,000 hens. They would incorporate the latest farming technologies for feed and water delivery systems and ventilation. Manure produced by the hens would be removed twice a week by conveyor belt direct to a covered trailer and removed from the site.
