General News
6 July, 2026
Neighbourly stink over egg sheds expansion
PLANS for four extra chicken sheds at Bridgewater Estate Eggs may not mean more birds at the Fantasy Road factory.
PLANS for four extra chicken sheds at Bridgewater Estate Eggs may not mean more birds at the Fantasy Road factory.
The company has submitted a planning application to Loddon Shire Council, sparking fears among neighbours that odour levels could increase.
Matt Wernert, who has owned and operated the adjacent Bridgewater Airport for 10 years, said odour from the chicken sheds was at times unbearable.
“It’s detrimental to our business ... we’ve had robust discussions with the shire,” he said.
Fantasy Farms ceased production six months after Matt purchased the airport.
Some buildings at the disused poultry processing plant were demolished in 2022. The plant had been closed after a salmonella outbreak in 2018.
Bridgewater Estate Eggs bought the site in 2024 and director Michael Loader said last week that the planning application “is about future proofing the site”.
“If the planning permit is approved, we would not be doing anything soon.”
Neighbours have been given until next Friday to lodge objections.
Mr Loader said the company had spent more than $1 million bringing the site back into production and there had been “real legacy issues and challenges that come when you buy a second-hand asset that was not looked after”.
“As we uncover problems we come up with solutions,” he said.
Mr Loader said breakdowns in the automated manure processes had included motors burning out and belts breaking.
“When we have been contacted by locals, we address the issues of odour as quickly as we can,” he said.
Mr Loader said while the application was for four new sheds and other buildings, he did not believe all sheds would be constructed and might see the same number of birds housed in more sheds.
He said that at capacity, Bridgewater Estate Eggs was producing 200,000 eggs a day. “At the moment we are in the low 100,000.”
Bridgewater Estate Eggs says it continues to look at emerging technologies to manage odour and the environment efficiently.
“We are chipping away at getting it right,” he said.
Pat O’Toole, owner of Bridgewater Bakehouse who lives near the egg production site, said the business was good for the town but did worry for the impacts on businesses and residents when there was odour.
“I haven’t got a problem with the business. Just hope they can sort out the smell,” he said.
“Our community is growing so we need to have it right.”
While Mr Loader said his company appreciated the support of Loddon Shire, Mr Wernert claimed council’s response to his concerns had been lacklustre.
Another neighbour Geoff Fishlock said: “The odours from here are not good.”
Mr Fishlock lives across Bridgewater-Maldon Road near the Loddon River.
“I’m probably 500 metres away and the smell didn’t used to be as bad as it is now,” he said.
According to Mr Loader, Bridgewater Estate Eggs had invested money to “run well and do the right thing by the animals and this business”.
The company was meeting RSPCA egg production requirements and placed a strong emphasis on biosecurity, he said.
Read More: Newbridge