Will Welsh chickens overtake sheep?

THE 9.5million sheep in Wales face being knocked down the pecking order – as a boom in poultry ‘mega farms’ will take chicken numbers up to 10million.

The industrial-scale farms, which each hold tens of thousands of birds, have seen the chicken population in Wales soar from 2.1million a decade ago.

But forecasts they will home 10million chickens by the end of this year – making it Wales’ number one farm animal – has raised alarm at the Campaign For The Protection Of Rural Wales. Spokesman Dr Christine Hugh-Jones said: ‘Applications for poultry units are coming in thick and fast and virtually never get refused.’

While sheep outnumber people in Wales by three to one, their numbers have been falling as farmers diversify before Brexit – whereas most meat is exported to the EU, eggs are mostly sold within the UK.