§ Mr. LevittTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what analysis she has made of the proportions of fallen stock which are(a)centrally buried, (b)centrally burned, (c)buried on the farm, (d)burned on the farm and (e)otherwise disposed of, in respect of (i) cattle and (ii) sheep on average over the last five years. [46787]
§ Mr. MorleyThe central burial or burning of fallen stock is not permitted except in emergency situations such as the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2001. We do not collect information on the routine disposal of fallen stock, but the State Veterinary Service carried out small scale surveys in the years 1998–2000. The results (which may not be representative) suggest that the following proportions of fallen cattle and sheep were buried or burned on farm. The remainder were disposed of by alternative routes such as incineration or disposal to a knacker's yard or hunt kennel.
298W
Percentage 1998 1999 2000 Cattle buried on farm 17 22 21 Cattle burned on farm 1 1 4 Sheep and goats buried on farm 60 76 65 Sheep and goats burned on farm 6 1 7
§ Mr. LevittTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what charges are made to farmers for the disposal of fallen(a)cattle and (b)sheep. [46786]
§ Mr. MorleyTo facilitate the UK's programme of surveillance for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, the Government currently pays the full cost of collecting 6,000 fallen sheep per year and all fallen cattle aged over 24 months. Charges for the disposal of other fallen stock are a matter for negotiation between the farmer and the collector. However, we understand that charges made for the disposal of fallen cattle range from zero to £50, and for fallen sheep from zero to £15.