Powys council on PETA 'naughty list' over chicken farms

PETA said chickens are "suffering" in poor conditions on some farms

A Welsh council has been criticised by animal rights activists for "approving more than 150 intensive chicken farms in the past five years".

PETA claimed Powys was the "worst council in the UK", adding the authority to its Christmas naughty list, "along with a lump of coal".

In a letter to the council, the charity claimed there were more than eight million "suffering" chickens in Powys.

The council said the farm applications reflected the large size of the county.

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PETA has called on the council to "offer a little peace on Earth and goodwill to all by rejecting future requests for more chicken prisons".

It said "mega-farms" had been allowed to turn the River Wye into "pea soup from manure, chemicals, and other muck".

A spokesperson for Powys council said: "The number of applications being made in Powys compared to other parts of the country reflects the large land mass of the county - it covers a quarter of Wales.

"Its rural nature, the importance of agriculture to the Powys economy and the need for farming businesses to diversify.

"The council has a statutory duty to consider applications that are submitted based on their individual merits."