Environmental protesters shut down feed plant

A group of Extinction Rebellion activists have blocked the entrance to Avara's Allensmore feed mill in Hereford this morning.

Protestors have erected a 10-foot-tall bamboo structure and a banner.

The group say they had little alternative but to escalate their protest since closing the site down in July last year.

Activists are demanding that Avara-Cargill commits to financial reparations here in the UK, to restore the River Wye to its natural state, and that they cease building or expanding intensive poultry units of any description within the Wye catchment area. 

Lou Wombacher-Hadden from Herefordshire, one of the activists blocking the site entrance today said: "I'm here because I'm really concerned about the devastating effect Avara-Cargill's inaction will have on tourism and employment in the area. The RSPB says that the economic value of the River Wye to tourism and employment in the area was estimated at £385 million in 2018 - that's huge! The river provides around 7,700 jobs, so we can't just ignore the impact this environmental disaster will have on local people."