Forest of Dean poultry operator Avara Foods has appointed a new name as its chief financial officer - though her name will be familiar to staff as the firm continues a restructuring which has reportedly been under way for the last two years.

Companies House records reveal that Sonia Pollock, 47, was appointed as the firm's financial director on February 1.

According to foodmanufacture.co.uk, Ms Pollock's appointment has been held up by the company as an example of internal progression due to her excellent work.

Ms Pollock said her focus was on creating a leaner more efficient supply chain amid the firm's work to build a success "aligned to a changing market underpinned by solid financial foundations".

The chicken and turkey producer, which operates a large poultry processing plant employing some 300 people at Newent, was formed in 2018 as a joint venture between UK fresh poultry firms Cargill and Faccenda. It employs some 6,000 people overall. In 2023, the firm signalled that it planned to close the Newent operation.

Avara said of its background: "We may only have been formed in 2018, but we have a history and heritage that dates back to the early 1960s. Formed in a joint venture between Cargill and Faccenda, we've been able to build on the experience and expertise gained from five decades' industry service. We are a new, ambitious company with a forward-thinking mindset."

In other headlines, Avara is currently fending off a collective legal claim from lawyers Leigh Day who are seeking a multimillion-pound settlement over allegations that industrial-scale chicken farming in the River Wye catchment area is polluting the River Wye and surrounding land. Avara is responsible, claims Leigh Day, for 80% of bird rearing in the area in the firm's work to satisfy poulry demand from its client, Tesco.

However, Avara has published work to show how ongoing efforts to contain waste suggest that the majority of its supply farms are now exporting chicken manure out of the catchment area.

● At the end of February, fresh financial figures from Avara revealed a £49m loss, with turnover falling from £1.5bn to £1.3bn for the year to May 31, 2024.