Water supply restrictions imposed by South West Water (SWW) continue to affect operations at 2 Sisters Food Group’s poultry processing plant at Willand, Devon.
Earlier this week, 2 Sisters said the site had been forced into a “critical situation” after reduced water supplies left it operating at the minimum level required to process birds, creating what the company described as an “urgent animal welfare issue”.
South West Water said it had introduced emergency measures during the recent heatwave because of exceptionally high demand on supplies in parts of Devon. The company said it had agreed to increase the flow and pressure of water to the Willand site following a request from 2 Sisters, while maintaining that its priority was protecting household supplies, public health, animal welfare and then businesses.
South West Water has previously said prolonged hot weather had pushed demand beyond the capacity of its Allers Water Treatment Works, prompting customers in parts of Devon to reduce non-essential water use.
At the time of writing, neither South West Water nor 2 Sisters Food Group has issued a further public update on the situation at the Willand plant.
Poultry News has approached 2 Sisters Food Group for comment and will update this story if a response is received.