THE government has decided to relax regulations to allow farmers to bury dead animals on their land.
The recent bad weather has resulted in an increase of fallen stock in inaccessible areas.
Ordinarily it is illegal to bury fallen stock, but now permission for on-farm disposal will be granted by the Department of the Environment, Food and Agriculture on a case-by-case basis and only where collection would pose a risk to the health and safety of the people carrying out the collection or where access would be difficult.
The DEFA will consider the risk of pollution and or the viability of removing the animals.
The temporary suspension will operate between April 15 and 28.
Farmers can still contact the Department of Infrastructure’s fallen stock service to arrange for the collection of dead animals.
Collection fees have temporarily been waived to assist farmers at this difficult time.
Minister for Agriculture Phil Gawne said: ‘Farmers should continue to do everything that they can to facilitate the removal of fallen stock from their farm and should contact the Fallen Stock Service in the first instance.
‘On-farm disposal must be approved in advance and will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances.’
Farmers with fallen stock which require collection or seeking permission for on-farm disposal should contact the fallen stock service on 687595.
