Vol. 545 No. 3
14 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the length of time the scheme for the collection of casualty and fallen animals has been in place; the number of animals which have been collected under its provisions; the average delay between notification and collection; the charges made for the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30174/01]
The fallen animal collection scheme was introduced on 1 July 2001. Based on the applications received to date in excess of 28,000 animals have been collected since its introduction. My information is that in the vast majority of cases animals are collected on the day on which they are notified to the licensed animal collector. In cases where the notification occurs late in the day collection is made the following day. Generally, on-farm deaths on a Saturday afternoon or Sunday will not be collected until Monday.
The charges payable by a herd owner in respect of animals collected under the scheme are: £10, 12.70, plus VAT for animals up to six months of age; £15, 19.05, plus VAT for animals between six months and two years and £25, 31.74, plus VAT for animals over two years of age.
