Why disposing of dead stock appropriately is important

• Decomposing dead stock is a source of disease producing bacteria and other organisms, e.g. salmonella, streptococcus and tuberculosis.
• Poor carcass disposal can result in contamination of groundwater and waterways, which may be sources of human and/or stock drinking water.
• Sight and smell of dead animals creates a bad public perception of the dairy industry. Slinks or dead calves can be particularly distressing for the public.

The principles of dead stock management

• Dispose of the animal as soon as possible to reduce risk of disease spread.
• Utilise dead stock collection services if available.
• Do not leave dead stock on the roadside or within public view. Most collection services prefer to pick up inside the farm gate.
• The carcass must not be left within 45m of the farm dairy or within 50m of a water source
• Keep dead stock out of waterways.

Evaluate your disposal options

Collection services are the preferred option. But if there is no collection service available, there are other disposal options to consider.

• Collection service

  Advantages

  • Simple
  • Minimises risk to groundwater
  • Maximises utility of the animal

  Disadvantages

  • May be a cost per animal
  • Animal must be fresh and hide in good condition

• Burial

  Advantages

  • Simple
  • Cost effective
  • Out of sight

  Disadvantages

  • Do not use this method if groundwater level is high
  • Predator and vermin control is necessary
  • Do not bury stock within 50m of a waterway

• Offal holes

  Advantages

  • Simple
  • Cost effective
  • Easy to manage
  • Out of sight

  Disadvantages

  • Do not use this method if groundwater level is high
  • Most efficient when using small and infrequent amounts of offal
  • Predator and vermin control is necessary
  • Do not bury stock within 50m of a waterway

• Composting

  Advantages

  • Can use in areas of high groundwater
  • Useful product generated
  • High composting temperatures destroys pathogens and disease
  • Can re-use sawdust from calf sheds.

  Disadvantages

  • Reliable source of sawdust required
  • Requires an understanding of composting
  • Must fence off compost pile from other stock
  • Do not spread finished compost on pasture grazed by stock
  • For more information about composting see Composting dead stock.

• Burning

  Advantages

  • Carcass is destroyed quickly
  • Any pathogens present are destroyed

  Disadvantages

  • Requires extremely high temperatures to burn
  • Can cause odour and smoke nuisance
  • Bones remain after burning
  • Last resort

Do's and dont's of burial and offal holes

• Do's

  • Slit the stomach of the carcass to allow the intestines out for faster decomposition
  • Puncture the rumen on its left side to release the gases to prevent toxic gas build up
  • Add a small amount of bacteria starter such as effluent sludge to speed up the decomposition process
  • Cover offal holes securely with a lid at all times
  • Once an offal hole is full to within 1m of the surface it should be retired and filled up with earth compacted and regrassed.

• Dont's

  • Do not site offal holes or bury stock near waterways, property boundaries or areas with high groundwater.
  • Do not add lime to an offal hole or burial area as this slows down the decomposition process.
  • Do not use an offal hole as a rubbish dump.
  • Do not dispose of chemicals in offal holes.
  • Do not light fires anywhere near offal holes.
  • Do not locate offal holes and burial sites within 45m of the farm dairy.