S&A Produce's plans to sell its farm site at Brierley and then lease the land back from the new owner in order to continue growing soft fruit on the site have been put on hold.
In a statement, the firm said it had ended talks with a local farmer, John Price, and will not be taking the idea forward.
It added the land could still be sold in the future but there was no immediate intention to do so.
In a statement it said: “S&A and local farmer John Price have mutually agreed to end negotiations on the sale and purchase of Brierley Court Farm and will not therefore be progressing with the transaction.
“Selling that land at Brierley which is not needed for growing strawberries remains an option for S&A in the future, although there is no immediate intention to do this.”
A spokesperson told freshinfo: “The negotiations didn’t work out and it was decided that the sale was not to go ahead. This does not change the plans for the site and we are getting ready for the season and the polytunnels will be up in March."
The statement continued: “S&A would like to reassure the local community that this in no way changes its plans for its future operations at Brierley. S&A is committed to sustainable strawberry production in Herefordshire and this means a maximum of 35 hectares of polytunnels on the Brierley site and accommodation for a maximum of 500 seasonal workers.”
Seperately, at the company’s Marden site, it is waiting upon a decision likely to be taken in March, by a local planning committee over the revised plans.
Locals gathered at the Marden Community Centre this week to look over the proposed plans, which would see 852 workers, down from the orignal plan of 1,000, housed in caravans and dormitories instead of pods at the Brook Farm site.
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