A company which supplies chicken and turkey to supermarkets and restaurants has recorded a £49m loss.

Avara Foods saw turnover fall from £1.5bn in 2023 to £1.3bn for the year to May 31, 2024.

Over the course of the year, it closed two sites and delivered changes to provide a more streamlined and efficient supply chain. Exceptional restructuring and one-off transition costs ate into the bottom line, totalling £11.5bn.

Andy Dawkins, CEO of Avara Foods, said: "Avara has embraced the customer led initiative to rear birds to higher welfare standards."

He continued: "Although political and economic challenges remain, the company is optimistic that, following the difficult decisions taken in 2023-24 and a period of stabilsation, it can now look forward to seeing the effect of operating efficiencies and overhead cost reduction in the current financial year. Current performance is in line with these expectations."

Avara Foods supplies up to 4m chickens a week into the UK's retail, hospitality and food service sectors. It is one of two all-year-round turkey businesses and a big part of the UK's Christmas turkey production.

It employs 6,000 people nationally in an end-to-end supply chain from farming and hatcheries through processing to transport and logistics.