The brewing giant Heineken says demand for cider has dropped but environmentalists warn the felling of trees will have a significant impact on wildlife.
Heineken has chopped down an orchard the size of 140 football pitches (Image: BBC)
Heineken has chopped down an orchard the size of 140 football pitches sparking fears for wildlife as thousands of trees were uprooted. The brewing giant wants to sell the land in Monmouthshire amid a slump in demand for cider.
Penrhos Orchard's trees on Offa's Dyke path were planted in 1997. Heineken has insisted it acted in line with the Wildlife Act after environmentalists said they were concerned about the impact of the tree felling on migratory bird populations, according to the BBC.
Local ecologist Chris Formaggia, who monitors birds visiting the orchard, suggested the felling of the trees was irreversible.
He told the broadcaster: "At this time now all the trees would be in their full blossom. It would be a really impressive area so the changes are absolutely total, really."
Mr Formaggia warned the biggest impact would be on species such as fieldfare and redwing which eat autumn berries before moving on to wind-blown apple crops.
He said it was inevitable that there would be a big loss and especially with populations of birds which overwinter in the area.
The foraging and safety the trees provided would not be replaced, according to the ecologist.
Heineken, which owns Bulmers, told the BBC it was "incredibly important" that it acted "responsibly and sustainably at all times".
Heineken says it acted in line with the Wildlife Act (Image: Chris Formaggia)
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It said the decision to chop down the trees came as a result of a slowing cider market and improved growing practices.
Two thousand acres of cider apple orchards in Britain have been lost in the last few years, according to the National Association of Cider Makers.
Ninety percent of traditional orchards have been lost since the 1950s to neglect, development or conversion to intensively managed orchards, according to the People's Trust for Endangered Species.
PTES hails traditional orchards as offering a "mosaic" of habitats for a range of biodiversity such as butterflies, bees, birds, bats and beetles.
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