§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what provisions she has made for the disposal of fallen sheep during the current lambing season, in the absence of the Fallen Stock Subscription Scheme; [158741]
(2) what advice she gives to farmers who are banned from burying fallen stock on their land by the Animal By-Products Regulation 1774/2002/EC and who have no other means of disposal. [158746]
§ Mr. BradshawThe Government are not obliged to provide a National scheme under the Animal By-Products Regulations, nor is one an essential prerequisite to farmers being able to dispose of their livestock in a legitimate manner.
Farmers are expected to make use of existing local outlets for the disposal of fallen, stock i.e. knacker yards, hunt kennels and maggot farms, use on-farm incinerators or make arrangements directly with rendering or incineration plants. However, we have 1472W asked local authorities to look sympathetically at individual cases where farmers have made every effort to comply but have faced genuine difficulties in doing so.