Vol. 573 No. 4
217 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the procedures to be followed in respect of the disposal of dead animals, in particular the time lapse involved between the first notice of the need to dispose of an animal and disposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25878/03]
Under the terms of the European Communities (Animal By-products) Regulations S.I. No. 248 of 2003, owners of dead animals are obliged to dispose of this material without delay.
Where the fallen animals scheme is operated, animal collectors must collect the material within 24 hours of notification by the herdowner, Sundays excluded.
The 2003 regulations also provide for the prosecution of animal owners who have not made timely arrangements for the disposal of the dead animal.
Where an animal dies in an inaccessible part of a farm and an animal collector cannot remove it, a burial licence may be issued to the landowner on application to the district veterinary office.
The fallen animal scheme further provides that licensed collectors must make a minimum of two deliveries per week from the knackery to a dedicated rendering plant. At many knackeries deliveries to rendering plants are made on a daily basis.
All material delivered to rendering plants enters a continuous rendering cycle and is rendered to meat and bonemeal within 24 hours of its delivery.
