New animal feed mill given planning consent
8th September 2023
A new 50.2m tall animal feed mill will be built in Suffolk, after district councillors approved a planning application from British Sugar Plc and AB Agri Ltd.
Image: Google maps
The facility, which will be the UK’s largest state-of-the-art feed mill, is set to be built on land owned by British Sugar Plc, off Compiegne Way on the A143 at the edge of Bury St Edmunds.
Proposals for the site include ancillary offices, silos, a warehouse, improved access route and parking. It will produce feed for pigs and poultry, predominantly made from wheat, barley, pulses and rapeseed.
The new facility will replace the existing AB Agri feed mill on Eastern Way in Bury St Edmunds and will create 70 new jobs, according to AB Agri and British Sugar.
Making the case for the new building in the planning application, it was noted that by 2050, forecasts suggest the UK population will reach 77 million, increasing the demand for protein. Pig and poultry feed manufacturing is at capacity and already struggling to keep pace with this growing demand.
The facility will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, producing up to 950,000 net tonnes of pig and poultry feed per annum.
Despite concerns raised by the local planning authority that the mill could have a significant adverse impact on the wider landscape, councillors unanimously approved the planning application, according to East Anglian Daily Times.
