THE number of complaints by residents about an odour they believed was emanating from a Mid Devon chicken processing factory have been revealed.

The Environment Agency said there had been 32 complaints received specifically mentioning the 2Sisters Food Group (2SFG) site in Willand, near Cullompton, in the year to April 16.

However, the firm said it prioritised being a good neighbour and that it complied with all relevant regulations.

The complaints prompted action by the Environment Agency, which led to measures having to be enacted by the company. It was not disclosed how many households made the complaints.

“During 2025, we instructed 2SFG to introduce measures to address potential sources of odour on site,” a spokesperson for the Environment Agency said.

“Since our intervention, there has been a noticeable reduction in reported odour incidents.”

It’s understood that following the agency’s intervention, the firm installed a refrigerated blood tank, and cleaned out its balance tanks in the effluent treatment plant, as those were viewed as a source of odour.

A spokesperson for 2 Sisters Food Group said: “We are committed to being a good neighbour and minimising the impact of our activities within the communities in which we operate, in line with national and local regulations and compliance with Environment Agency requirements.”

The firm suggested it had not received any complaints since August, when two were received, but that one occurred when the wind was blowing in the wrong direction, suggesting the odour had been generated from another source.

It also said it had a system that provides real-time weather updates to determine wind speed and direction to help it understand whether its operations were impacting people locally.

Other unrelated sites in Willand, such as a wastewater treatment plant, rendering site, and other food processing activities could also produce odours, the firm added.