The Kerala High Court has extended the stay on the Kerala State Pollution Control Board’s (PCB) order to close down Freshcut Organic Products Private Limited, a poultry-waste rendering unit at Ambayathode, Kozhikode, following complaints that a large amount of refuse from the company was being discharged into the nearby residential area.

Justice C. Jayachandran ordered that the poultry waste must be transported in refrigerated vehicles, noting that only three out of the eight vehicles used to transport waste were refrigerated. The court was considering a report on a site inspection jointly conducted by the environmental engineer from the PCB and the District Collector, who is also the Chairman of the district-level facilitation and monitoring committee.

The report said that there were no signs of wastewater being discharged from the unit. The court was informed that only a partial inspection was conducted since the unit was not functional due to the ongoing protests against the company. It was noted that the laboratory analysis results of the water from the pond, stream, and river nearby would be produced before court once they were complete.

It was also recorded that Kozhikode generates 58.81 tonnes of poultry waste daily and 70 tonnes on weekends. Freshcut has the capacity to process 25 tonnes of poultry waste. The remaining waste is transported to neighbouring districts, according to the report. The authorities were directed to conduct another inspection after the processing unit was made functional.

The PCB had ordered the closure of the unit after repeated public complaints of pollution, continued violations despite regulation, and the environmental impact on nearby residential areas.

Published - August 13, 2026 09:34 pm IST