A MEAT processing plant in Llanidloes could shed a third of its 150 jobs due to increased paperwork post-Brexit.

Randall Parker Foods based in Dolwen, Llanidloes processes one million lambs a year, half of which are exported to the European Union.

But general manager Dale Williams has told the BBC that the UK's new post-Brexit trading relationship with the EU "means extra cost, tying someone up all day to do the paperwork for one vehicle".

He has warned this could lead dozens of redundancies.

"If there's multiple products it can take hours per product because we have to send the documents off to be verified before we can release the vehicle to go on its journey," he said.

"As it stands today we're operating for virtually nothing. We're doing it for the sake of keeping the doors open at the moment."

Mr Williams added that some staff have already been furloughed, and fears he could lose a third of his business "which will make the company seriously unviable".

"If the export paperwork and documentation and controls either side of the border continue, I think we will have to make redundancies," he said.

A spokesman for the company told the County Times: "At this time there is nothing further to add than what has been said in the (BBC) article.

"This is a reflection of the current situation as given by Mr Williams on behalf of the company."

Plaid Cymru's Senedd candidate, and Powys County Councillor Elwyn Vaughan said the news was a massive blow to the area.

He said: “This news is of huge concern to all and is a direct result of the Conservative’s Brexit deal which will undermine our red meat sector as it’s already doing to the fishing sector. It’s a disgrace that both our Powys Conservative MPs voted like sheep following the party line rather than stand up for our farming community.

"Lamb production is hugely important in Mid Wales and it’s imperative that Parker Randell the operators of the slaughterhouse are supported by Government and not left at the whim of Westminster Government."

Alison Alexander, Montgomeryshire Liberal Democrat Senedd Candidate said: “The news coming today from Randall Parker Foods in Llanidloes is deeply disturbing.”

“Powys’s Conservative MPs urgently needs to do more to assist and stand up for our lamb industry which is so important for both our local economy and the life of our rural communities.”

“The government urgently needs to review the new administrative system in place with the EU and work directly with the relevant stakeholders including farming unions, producers and port/transport authorities to solve the problems at hand, before people’s livelihoods are lost. Craig Williams and Fay Jones stood on a platform of supporting our meat industry at the last election, he should not leave them standing in the wind alone trying to deal with problems that are down to government decision making.”

“Only last month lamb farmers were warning this new Brexit deal could mean New Zealand farmers will have to go through less red tape than their British counterparts due to the lack of an ‘equivalence agreement’ on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) within the EU-UK Deal which is present in the EU-NZ Deal.”