Over 200 acres of apple trees have been destroyed at a farm midway between Llantilio Crosenny and Penrhos in a move that has angered environmentalists. Heineken, who owns the Bulmers brand, uprooted theorchards claiming that the slump in demand for cider means they want to “make best use of the land”.

However the timing has caused concern with local ecologist Chris Formaggia who told the BBC that: “At this time now all the trees would be in their full blossom. It would be a really impressive area so the changes are absolutely total.”

He added that the biggest impact will be on wintering thrushes including fieldfare and redwing that thrive on “wind-blown apple crops”. He explained that the orchard was “absolutely teeming with these winter thrushes. I think inevitably there will be a big loss here, particularly with those wintering populations. That foraging and that safety of the trees has gone and it’s not going to be replaced.” Heineken insisted that it has acted in accordance with the Wildlife Act and agreed that it was “incredibly important that we act responsibly and sustainably at all times”. A spokesperson for Heineken pointed out that in November 2023, they made clear its intention “to sell Penrhos Farm, one of two apple farms which the company owns” and admitted that “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”. TV wildlife expert Iolo Williams has called on people on Twitter, now X to "Boycott Heineken & Bulmers!" According to a spokesperson, Heineken “firmly remain a cider, beer and pub company” even though “the cider market has declined over the last few years” In 2003, the Credenhill-based firm of Bulmers was bought for £278 million by Scottish & Newcastle and 5 years later S&N were bought for £7.8 billion by the Carlsberg and Heineken groups. Bulmers now only survives as a brand name and subsidiary of the Dutch Heineken group, with operations in Hereford scaled back to focus mainly on the production of cider. Bulmers Irish Cider is sold outside the Republic of Ireland as Magners.