The enclosed advice represents the Farm Animal Welfare Council’s view on the current provisions for the disposal of low value, casualty and surplus farm animals. We also make recommendations for Improvements to this provision.

The difficulties experienced by the farming community in disposing of surplus calves and sheep in the summer/autumn of 1999 resulted in FAWC writing to Agriculture Ministers in September 1999. The letter recommended the implementation of short-term solutions to facilitate the disposal of such animals and the development of a long-term strategy to overcome problems in the future.

Ministerial responses indicated that the short-term solutions recommended – the introduction of a temporary cost neutral scheme for the disposal of cull ewes and a derogation to permit low throughput slaughter houses to exceed their current throughput limits to kill surplus calves – were incompatible with European Union (EU) legislation.

A FAWC Working Group was set up in February 2000 to consider the issue further. The group gathered information on the scale of the problem and the existing routes of disposal in consultation with MAFF and the relevant organisations from the industry.

The valuable service provided by the knacker industry, the rendering industry and hunt kennels in relation to the disposal of casualty, emergency and fallen animals has been greatly reduced post BSE with the introduction and extension of SRM controls and the reduction in the value of salvaged by-products. Farmers, particularly those in more remote areas, have been faced with higher costs of disposal resulting in increased on-farm burial. It is anticipated that problems with disposal will be exacerbated when the rules governing on-farm burial become more stringent, as drafted in a proposed EU regulation which would replace the Animal Waste Directive.

Animal welfare is most likely to be compromised when market values fall to very low levels. To combat this FAWC recommends that Ministers and the livestock industry explore all possible avenues to assist the development of effective market solutions for this class of livestock.

FAWC also recommends that a fully integrated and auditable national scheme is established for the collection and disposal of fallen casualty or emergency animals which is also capable of providing a disposal route for unwanted calves and cull ewes at times of depressed prices. The funding and operation of such a system should be carefully considered.

FAWC recommends that an industry action group be established, co-sponsored by the relevant Government Departments (e.g. MAFF, Dept. of the Environment, Food Standards Agency, etc.) to consider the issues raised by the disposal of surplus, fallen, casualty and emergency animals.

We believe that this advice has especial pertinence in these difficult times. Both during and in the aftermath of the current Foot-and-Mouth Disease outbreak, it may become critically important to ensure humane disposal routes for an increasing number of low value stock which may result from a weakened market.