Originally from: mona parr
                        
Defra is to write to all livestock farmers in England later this week to canvass support for a UK subscription scheme for the collection and disposal of fallen stock.
Letters will be sent out to 111,000 livestock farms about the setting up of a low cost voluntary subscription scheme following successful talks last week with UK farm unions and the collection and disposal sectors.
The letter informs farmers about new EU Animal By-products Regulation, which will ban the routine on-farm burial and burning of animal carcases in England from May 1. From that date, the only legal methods of disposal will be rendering, incineration or hunt kennels.
Animal Health Minister Elliot Morley said farmers would have the choice of making their own arrangements or joining a fair and workable national stock collection scheme.
"We will shortly be writing to all livestock farmers to invite them to join a voluntary subscription scheme to help finance a national fallen stock collection system.
"If there is sufficient interest, we will take this forward in partnership with the collection and disposal industries. Government will contribute to the funding, but the amount cannot yet be determined as it will be linked to membership," he said.
Mr Morley welcomed the involvement of the disposal industry and the endorsement the scheme had received from all of the farming unions.
"I have always sought maximum farmer involvement and there will be a management committee established involving the industry. This scheme is a good deal offering considerable savings and I hope it receives support." There will be a three-tier payment subscription scheme with small holdings paying £50/year, medium-sized farms paying £100/year and large units paying £200/year.
In the meantime, Defra will enforce the regulations in a reasonable manner, with a light touch approach to the legislation to allow farmers time to adjust to the new rules.
"We expect farmers to make every effort they can to comply with the regulation, but we will take a pragmatic approach particularly in winter and poor weather conditions in upland areas and we will give advice to enforcement agencies accordingly," he said.
The deadline for farmers to express initial interest in joining the subscription scheme is May 6. The Government then hopes to get the scheme up and running in the next few months if there is support from more than 50 per cent of livestock holdings in the UK.

 
Notes for editors

1. The EU Animal By-Products Regulation, which will ban the routine on-farm burial and burning of animal carcases, comes in to force on May 1, 2003. 2 Defra will be sending letters out to farmers this week on the new rules on disposal of fallen stock. A deadline of May 6 has been set for farmers to register their interest in joining the national carcase collection subscription scheme.
3. The package of material being sent to farmers will include details about how the scheme will work and what it will cost, some examples of how the scheme can save money, and Q and A on the collection and disposal of fallen stock and guidance on on-farm incinerators.
4. Similar letters will be going out from the devolved administrations to their own farmers.
5. The Defra letter and package can be accessed from the Defra web at <A HREF="http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/by-prods/default.htm"> http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/by-prods/default.htm</A>