ONE of the country’s leading egg producers could close its Lauder site.
Ian Campbell, managing director of Glenrath Farms, told TheSouthern this week that the firm was considering the closure of the Stow Road site due to encroaching business developments.
Mr Campbell said: “They are building a business park at the back of us and it looks like we might have to move out of the site.
“It is very difficult to keep livestock close to people.”
He added that the company would likely move to a site outwith the Borders if the move went ahead.
The company has owned the Stow Road site for 14 years, but it has been used for poultry sheds since the end of the First World War.
The site, which employs five staff as well as a number of casual employees, was flooded last Wednesday evening when water from melting snow came down the hill behind the site and washed into one of the chicken sheds.
Fortunately the incident occurred in the evening and the hens were all on perches. The fire service, SSPCA, Scottish Water and SEPA officials all attended, and no chickens were harmed.
A fire service spokesperson said around 5cm of water was in the shed and water contaminated with effluent was flowing into a nearby burn, which runs into the Leader.
Mr Campbell said: “There was quite a large amount of water coming down the hill and it went into the sheds then out into storm drains.”