Consultation announced over how to deal with fallen stock

A CONSULTATION on what can be done to deal with fallen stock on farms in Scotland’s remote areas is to be carried out by the Scottish Executive.

But the closing date for the consultation will be 15 May, a fortnight after the new European Union rules banning on-farm animal burial and burning take effect on 1 May.

It now seems that on-farm burial will be allowed to continue in Scotland until 15 May and the consultation announcement by Ross Finnie, minister for environment and rural development, does little to clarify long-term confusion.

On a UK scale, the number of animals that die by accident or injury or soon after birth is estimated at 1.3 million adults and well over two million lambs, calves and piglets. The estimate for Scotland is 60,000 cattle of all ages and more than 400,000 adult sheep.

The EU rules introducing the ban on burial or open burning, officially the EU Animal By-Products Regulation intended to reduce potential pollution of waterways, seem to indicate that while governments should cover collection costs and about 75 per cent of disposal costs, farmers must pay the balance.

While the farmers’ unions protest about that, lack of any co-ordinated UK policy and the refusal of Finnie to go it alone for Scotland, remote areas - with no access to collection or rendering services - might be exempt from the ban.

Finnie said yesterday: "The EU regulation recognised the difficulties which arise in disposing of fallen animals in some parts of Scotland. Farmers in remote areas with no alternative means of disposal will find this derogation very helpful, but it is important that it is applied correctly. If not, it could be withdrawn by the European Commission."

Meantime, the rule which will stay in force until 15 May is the Animal By-Products Order 1999, which allows burial or open burning of small quantities where access is difficult.

John Kinnaird, NFU Scotland president, said: "We have known for a while that Brussels will allow a derogation for remote areas and this will be crucial to many parts of Scotland. We will be doing our own consultation to come to a view on the precise details."

"But the priority for the Executive must be to establish a properly-funded collection and disposal service for the rest of Scotland."

CHARLES Milne has been appointed to succeed Lesley Gardner as Scotland’s chief veterinary officer.

Milne is divisional veterinary manager for the state veterinary service’s south-west Scotland division and played a prominent part in controlling the 2001 foot-and-mouth epidemic.

Gardner, who was in charge of the Scottish operation which eradicated FMD in Scotland, retires at the end of this month after almost 30 years with the state service.