A chicken farming firm has hit back at vegan activists for presenting a petition against an egg farm signed by people across the globe.

Animal rights pressure group PETA submitted 15,000 signatures to Maidstone Borough Council in opposition to the huge new farming facility at Chainhurst, which is planned by Cranbrook-based business Fridays Ltd.

But one of the company's senior managers has dismissed the value of their objection, which he says misrepresents the proposed development.

Fridays production manager Graham Fuller said: "PETA's agenda is to promote veganism and to prevent any animal-based farming so it is not surprising they would automatically seek to discredit our proposals.

"Nor is it surprising that they can get their international network of activists to sign up to an emotionally-worded petition that has little basis in fact. A quick glance at the petition shows the signatories seem to come from all over the place, including the Far East and Russia.

"It is completely misleading to say the hens will be ‘crammed’ indoors when we are proposing a free range facility set in 237 acres of open countryside."

PETA argues that on farms billed as "free-range" or "organic" chickens are still prevented from engaging in their natural forms of behaviour due to lack of space.

But Fridays responds by stating that the sizes of the houses and range areas at the proposed farm - which could house close to 200,000 hens - are dictated by the RSPCA, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the EU on a per-hen basis for free range farming.

"We are well known for our high welfare standards and Compassion in World Farming has highlighted Fridays as an exemplar of best practice in egg production," Mr Fuller said.

"Demand for free-range eggs, produced in a high quality way, continues to rise and, despite the wishes of these activists, we are determined to continue meeting the needs of the British public."

However, people living nearby the proposed site who oppose the plans have welcomed the PETA petition.

Kevin Back, a typographer and father of four who is part of the We Love Chainhurst group opposing the plans, said: "The response is fantastic, I was very pleased to see that one went in.

"We do feel optimistic, all the parish councils are objecting, and we hope that Maidstone borough councillors follow what the mood is from all the residents and the parish councillors.

"We are not against chicken farming outright, we understand British farming has got to happen to feed us all, we oppose this because this kind of industrial-size development is just in the wrong place."

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