Haskins, Shawn

Walker, Forbes

English

University of Tennessee, Knoxville: Trace

W255 Disposing of Large Animal Mortalities in Tennessee

University of Tennessee, KnoxvilleTrace: Tennessee Research and CreativeExchangeAnimals/Livestock UT Extension Publications3-3-2011W255 Disposing of Large Animal Mortalities inTennesseeForbes WalkerShawn HaskinsFollow this and additional works at: http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_agexaniPart of the Dairy Science CommonsThe publications in this collection represent the historical publishing record of the UT Agricultural Experiment Station and do not necessarily reflectcurrent scientific knowledge or recommendations. Current information about UT Ag Research can be found at the UT Ag Research website.This Beef Cattle is brought to you for free and open access by the UT Extension Publications at Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. Ithas been accepted for inclusion in Animals/Livestock by an authorized administrator of Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For moreinformation, please contact trace@utk.edu.Recommended Citation"W255 Disposing of Large Animal Mortalities in Tennessee," Forbes Walker and Shawn Haskins,W255, http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_agexani/93W255	 Animal	deaths	are	a	regrettable	but	sometimes	unavoidable	part	of	livestock	production.	Once	an	ani-mal	dies,	it	is	important	to	handle	and	dispose	of	the	carcass	in	a	way	that	reduces	the	potential	for	impact-ing	the	health	of	humans	and	other	livestock	and	mini-mizes	the	impact	to	the	environment,	such	as	pollution	of	groundwater	or	surface	water.	It	is	recommended	that	dead	animals	be	disposed	of	within	48	hours	of	discovery	in	a	way	that	follows	state	guidelines.	 In	May	2009,	the	Tennessee	Department	of	Agri-culture	released	its	guidelines	on	handling	mortalities	in	a	short	policy	document	entitled	“Policy	Concern-ing	the	Disposal	of	Dead	Farm	Animals	and	The	Disposal	Offal	from	Custom	Slaughter	Facilities.”		This	document	can	be	viewed	at	the	Tennessee		Department	of	Agriculture’s	website	at:http://tn.gov/agriculture/publications/regulatory/animaldisposal.pdf	 In	Tennessee,	dead	animal	carcasses	are	defined	as	a	“solid	waste,”	so	are	regulated	by	the	Tennessee	Department	of	the	Environment	and	Conservation	(TDEC),	Division	of	Solid	Waste.	The	disposal	of	dead	animals	falls	under	the	solid	waste	regulations	outlined	by	TDEC	at	its	website:http://www.tennessee.gov/sos/rules/1200/1200-	01/1200-01-07.20081126.pdf	 The	methods	that	livestock	producers	in	Tennessee	can	choose	to	dispose	of	their	dead	animals	include:	 •	On-farm	burial	 •	Composting	 •	Landfilling	 •	Burning	 •	Incineration	 •	RenderingForbes Walker, Associate Professor, and Shawn Hawkins, Assistant Professor Biosystems Engineering and Soil SciencePrograms in agriculture and natural resources, 4-H youth development, family and consumer sciences, and resource development.University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture and county governments cooperating.UT Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.W255     2/11     11-0119Visit the UT Extension website athttp://utextension.tennessee.edu	 Permits	are	not	required	for	on-farm	burial	as	long	as	standards	set	by	the	United	States	Department	of	Agriculture	(USDA)	are	followed.	These	include	making	sure	you	follow	setbacks	from	sources	of	water	(wells	and	surface	water)	and	that	the	animal	is	buried	more	than	2	feet	away	from	bedrock	or	water	tables.	Burn	permits	are	required	in	every	circumstance	where	they	would	normally	be	required	for	open	burning.	Burn	permits	are	issued	by	the	Tennessee	De-partment	of	Agriculture’s	Division	of	Forestry	from	October	15	through	May	15.	Complete	details	can	be	found	at	http://burnsafetn.org/burn_permit.html		 Some	local	(city	and	county)	ordinances	regarding	open	burning	may	take	precedence	over	the	Division	of	Forestry	rules.	When	burning	carcasses,	the	materi-als	used	to	burn	are	restricted	to	#1	or	#2	grade	fuel	oils,	vegetation	grown	on	the	property	or	wood	waste.	 USDA	guidelines	should	also	be	followed	if	you	elect	to	compost	the	carcasses.	Composting	usually	requires	creating	a	2-foot	base	of	woody	by-products	such	as	wood	chips,	sawdust	or	wood	shavings,	then	covering	the	dead	animal	with	at	least	2	more	feet	of	the	wood	by-product.			 Not	all	landfills	in	Tennessee	will	accept	dead	ani-mals.	Only	Class	I	landfills	will	accept	them	without	written	permission	from	TDEC.	 If	incineration	is	used,	no	permits	are	required	as	long	as	the	incinerator	is	only	used	for	carcass	dis-posal,	and	has	a	capacity	not	greater	than	500	lbs	per	hour	or	a	burner	capacity	less	than	400,000	BTU’s	per	hour.	 In	the	past,	rendering	companies	often	picked	up	carcasses	from	individual	farms;	however,	in	recent	years	there	has	been	a	decline	in	the	number	of	companies	offering	this	service.	There	are	also	strict	restrictions	on	the	rendering	of	cattle	under	30	months	of	age.	 Where	losses	involve	carcasses	of	more	than	10,000	lb	the	state	veterinarian	must		be	notified.	In	the	cases	of	larger	losses,	landfilling,	composting	and	rendering	may	be	the	only	viable	options.	 For	most	producers,	burying,	composting	or	landfilling	will	be	the	best	options	for	disposing	of	their	dead	animals.	See	UT	Extension’s	website	for	more	details:https://utextension.tennessee.edu/publications/Pages/environment.asp

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W255 Disposing of Large Animal Mortalities in Tennessee

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University of Tennessee, Knoxville: Trace

University of Tennessee, Knoxville: Trace