Removal scheme set to ease pressure on livestock farmers

The government is set to introduce a carcass removal scheme following the implementation of EU-wide legislation banning the burial of dead animals on agricultural land.

In move that could cripple the farming industry, farmers will no longer be able to bury or burn dead animals on their land from 1 May. However, the government is offering farmers the chance to pay between £50 and £200 a year, depending on the size of the farm, to cover the collection and disposal of dead animals.

Farming groups, led by the NFU, have been lobbying the government to implement a national collection and disposal scheme to ensure livestock producers will be able to comply with the new rules.

The ban would mean that the only legal way of disposing of dead animals will be through costly alternatives like rendering, incineration or sending them to a hunt kennel.

NFU deputy president Tim Bennett said: “The NFU believes that the scheme is a good deal and one that farmers should support.”

For the proposed scheme to become a reality, the government wants more than 50% of livestock holdings to register their interest in joining up.

Mr Bennett said it was important that the industry demonstrates support for the scheme.

“Livestock producers need to get behind this scheme. It’s dependent on industry support and it is essential that farmers to register their interest,” he said.

If there is support from more than half of livestock holdings, the government hopes to get the scheme up and running in the next few months. In the meantime, it has said it will enforce the regulations in a way that allows farmers time to adjust to the new rules.

Farmers also have the option of making their own arrangements. Unions have endorsed the scheme, and farmers who are interested in joining should reply by 6 May.

(GMcG)