As residents protest, poultry waste treatment plant to cease operations

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File photo of a public protest against the Fresh Cut poultry waste rendering unit at Ambayathode in Kozhikode. | Photo Credit: The Hindu

The Freshcut poultry waste treatment plant at Ambayathode near Thamarassery in Kozhikode district will cease operations and be dismantled by March 31, 2027, following an agreement between the company management and a local action committee which spearheaded a series of protests against the facility.

The decision was finalised after multiple rounds of discussions led by Koduvally MLA P.K. Firos and other people’s representatives. Under the agreement signed between the company management and representatives of the protest committee, Freshcut will eventually relocate its operations to another permitted site.

As per the latest agreement, the existing plant will resume operations temporarily from August 27, 2026, until a new facility is established. However, the plant will be permitted to process a maximum of 25 tonnes of waste a day during this period.

According to the action committee leaders, the mutually signed agreement will ensure that the plant will be dismantled before March 31, 2027. There will be appropriate surveillance measures to ensure that the factory does not violate the restrictions during the temporary operation phase.

The action committee members said there were mainly two rounds of discussions in the presence of people’s representatives to find a solution to the issue and address the local residents’ concerns. Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty also played a crucial role in the last round of discussions, which confirmed the closure of the factory, they said.

The waste treatment facility, which started functioning in 2014, had been at the centre of various controversies and intense agitations for more than five years. Residents of Kattippara, Ambayathode and neighbouring areas were mostly part of the protests, alleging that the plant emitted foul odour, contaminated nearby water sources and posed a threat to public health.

The issue attracted State-wide attention last year when protests against the unit turned violent, resulting in clashes between demonstrators and the police. Several police personnel and protesters were injured in the clashes, while the plant and vehicles on the premises were damaged by arson.

It became the centre of attention again following a closure order recently issued by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board.

A stay order subsequently obtained by the factory management from the Kerala High Court challenging the Pollution Control Board’s decision further fuelled the local protest in the village. Factory management said they operated the facility by strictly complying with all the guidelines. The same approach would be adopted in the shifting of operations from the existing spot, they said.

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