2 Sisters Food Group is continuing to truck water into its Willand site in Devon more than six weeks after it temporarily ceased operations.
In order to maintain production at the facility, The Grocer understands the business has been bringing additional water in by road since mid-July.
Last month, South West Water reduced the amount of water available to the site.
While it maintained at the time it had kept water pressure above the legal minimum standard, 2 Sisters said that the amount coming from the mains meant it was unable to “operate the site to the required food safety and animal health and welfare requirements”.
The Boparan-owned company was able to restart operations but only because it began bringing in additional water by road from another of its facilities.
At the time, the British Poultry Council urged the government to prioritise access to water for the purposes of livestock welfare and food supply.
Defra and South West Water did not respond to request for comment.
Meanwhile, a Boparan-owned Bernard Matthews site has been earmarked for closure. The Derby site will cease operations by the end of the year, affecting about 600 employees.
The decision – which followed consultations with employees and unions – had been taken due to “continued significant losses”, said a spokesman.
Economic challenges and the current, unstable geopolitical environment “including Brexit, Covid and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East” had all contributed.
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