A Kenilworth abattoir is hoping to begin a "major expansion" just to stay in business following the impact of Brexit.

Farmers Fresh on Rouncil Lane has applied to build a new refrigeration unit needed to make sure the business can cope with new regulations on storage times.

If plans are approved a new two-storey office will be built on site, with the current offices converted into more fridge space, with an extra storey added.

But directors said the big investment was needed just to stop staff from burning out.

"Because of new rules the timing between slaughter and sending out has become much longer," a Farmers Fresh spokesperson said.

"So that makes it harder to produce stuff, as it comes in the front door and isn't going straight out the back door.

"It is a major expansion that is necessary to keep this business running. We are not doing it to increase profits, it is just to keep the wheels turning."

With increased storage times of fresh meat now required before shipping, the 80 staff members at Farmer Fresh have been working flat out for the past few months just to meet their orders.

And whilst the increased fridge space may allow production to increase, the company said it was vital just to stay in production.

The spokesperson added: "Production may go up 10 per cent, but the bigger thing is that we wont be so overworked.

"Essentially without this we are done because we will burn out."

Farmers Fresh is yet to receive a formal quote for the work, directors have conservatively predicted at least a £1.5million outlay.

The project is further complicated by the fact that production cannot be paused at any point during the build.

And with the new fridges expected to hold 1,200 lambs each weighing 20kg, a steel frame will need to be built to take the weight - adding to the cost.

More Brexit effects

With 75 per cent of the 15,000 lambs slaughtered each week in Kenilworth going overseas, the longer waiting times are not the only impact of Brexit for Farmers Fresh.

The extra bureaucracy in crossing the channel caused by new export health certificates needed for each consignment has seen a number of company trucks halted at Calais in the past few months.

"We had one the other day, where one page had a clear admin error on it, one page said the wrong date, it was clearly a human error but they held the truck," the spokesperson told Nub News.

"That driver then couldn't come back for Christmas and he was stuck overseas for 88 hours."

And with three trucks leaving Warwickshire every day with up to £150,000 of product on board the size of the problem is clear.

"It gets very stressful, very quickly.

"Some trucks have five customers' stock on, and if there is one thing that is wrong, then the whole truck is stopped.

"Imagine every day of your working life you have this grey cloud over you because you just do not know if the people in Calais are going to be pedantic or not."

The planning application is currently open for comments here.

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