Councillors in Bahrain’s Northern Governorate have demanded the relocation of the kingdom’s main poultry farm to make way for a new housing development.

Residents of Hamala have been complaining for years about the foul smell and stench coming from Delmon Poultry Company complex, which was earlier given a deadline to comply with hygiene standards by the Works, Municipalities and Urban Planning Affairs Ministry, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

However, the Northern Municipal Council wants the company to relocate amidst ongoing negotiations with the government to build hundreds of homes on a plot of land adjacent to the complex.

The proposal was submitted by area councillor Budoor Bin Rajab and has been supported by the council's financial, administrative and legislative committee.

"Urbanisation has increased dramatically since two decades ago when the company was founded, and at the time it was located in the middle of nowhere but now it is surrounded by homes and residential compounds," said committee chairman Khalid Qambar yesterday.

"Residents are complaining about foul smell and stench coming from inside the complex which is a major problem. The company has agreed to deal with it, but it is doing so very slowly.

"Even if the company tackles the issue, it will deal with only 10 per cent to 20pc of the problem because the fact remains that its location is a major issue as well."

Qambar suggested the government allocate a special area in Askar for abattoirs.

"Delmon can move to a land near the Bahrain Livestock Company (BLC) in Sitra or to Ras Zuwaid nearby Askar, where no one lives and the place could accommodate having one more company," he said.

"This could be done through a set timeframe considering that Delmon is Bahrain's only supplier of local chicken and we don't want to see a drop in stocks.

"They could relocate gradually, but they have to relocate in the next five years at the latest, as a new town that will have hundreds of homes is being planned for the area."

Company officials were unavailable for comment when contacted by the GDN yesterday. - TradeArabia News Service