default-output-block.skip-main
Regional | Business

Tegel's mega chicken factory scrapped by OIO

Celebrations are underway since Tegel's mega chicken factory has been scrapped by the Overseas Investment Office.

Tegel had plans to buy 200 hectares to build 32 poultry sheds on farmland near Dargaville.

It was proposed for each shed to be as long as a rugby field stocked with 1.3 million chickens at a time.

The animal advocacy group Direct Animal Action is ecstatic about the victory and plans to host celebrations with the local marae and community.

In a statement to Māori Television, Tegel has said:

"Tegel is disappointed the OIO has chosen to decline an application to acquire land at Arapohue, near Dargaville.

The multi-million dollar proposal would have created New Zealand's most advanced and environmentally-friendly
free range chicken farm alongside 34 new jobs in the Kaipara District.

Tegel's plans will continue to include further development to add capacity as demand from our customers and consumers for quality New Zealand chicken products rise."