On Wednesday, Wyandotte Farms took another big step towards its goal of supplying area residents with locally raised and processed chicken from its property on Route 6 in Mattapoisett, thanks to a unanimous letter of approval from the town’s Board of Health.

Environmental designer Wendy Winship Henderson made a presentation before the board on behalf of farm owners Michael and Elizabeth King, showing the location for a proposed mobile poultry-processing unit on the property.

Permitting for such units are regulated by the state’s Department of Public Health, but the department requires the applicant to obtain approval from the local board.

On a typical day, 50 birds would be processed, which would generate 75 gallons of wastewater, according to Winship Henderson. State regulations allow up to 400 gallons “per processing event,” she said.

In an often tetchy hour-long discussion about the scale of the operation, the handling of effluent and the composting process for liquid waste, neighbor Roland Letendre objected to the entire proposal. His property abuts the farm and the processing trailer was first proposed to be sited 10 feet from his property line.

“It will attract wild animals. It’s hugging my property line and he put it there because he knows I’m against it,” Letendre said. “I’d say it comes under obnoxious use.”  Letendre said he would retain a lawyer if the operation became a nuisance.

King insisted that processing chickens locally would be a benefit. “People want to be connected to where their food came from,” he said. “They don’t want factory food.”

Board chairman Carmelo Nicolosi reminded Letendre on several occasions that the town board did not issue the license, but was instead responsible to ensure that the operation of the mobile unit conformed to local bylaws and practices.

Such units are currently in use in a number of towns in Massachusetts, according to Winship Henderson, including Dartmouth and Martha’s Vineyard.

After discussion, the board voted to approve the letter to the state health department after King agreed to site the trailer 50 feet from any abutting property.

Processing is permitted only from April to November, per state regulations, and King agreed to limit his hours of operation between 8 a.m and 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday. King has already acquired the trailer, which will now be retrofitted for use, he said.

“We’ve been working for over three years to get to this point and so we’re very happy,” King said after the meeting. Outfitting the trailer could be accomplished in about three weeks, he speculated.

“Our customers are going to be happy too,” he said. King also said he was very confident that “with good management practices” he would not be subject to any nuisance complaints from abutters.