Strongbow and Bulmers owner Heineken has destroyed a 300-acre orchard, blaming the move on the slowing demand for cider.
The alcohol giant is looking to sell the orchard, located in Monmouthshire, prompted by a slower cider market and improved growing practices, the BBC reported.
Thousands of trees, which were planted in 1997, were chopped down in the process, which has seen environmentalists express wildlife concerns.
However, Heineken has said that it acted “in line with the Wildlife Act” and that it was “incredibly important that we act responsibly and sustainably at all times”.
Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning
It comes as the National Association of Cider Makers found that the amount of cider being consumed in the UK has fallen by a third in the past 10 years, with 2,000 acres of British cider apple orchards no longer used.
A Heineken spokesperson told The Mirror: “In November 2023, Heineken made clear its intention to sell Penrhos Farm in Wales, one of two apple farms which the company owns.
“Over a number of years, the cider market has slowed and the yield of apples per acre has increased leading to a huge surplus of apples.
“The bittersweet apples grown at the commercially farmed bush orchards at Penrhos have no other use than creating cider. In order to make best use of the land to grow other crops, the bush orchards had to be removed.”
The company added that all the wood is “shredded for biomass”.
