What do you do with dead livestock?

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

Jan. 27, 2005 - Farmer Joe walked outside to check on his herd of cattle grazing in the nearby pasture. He noticed a cow lying down and decided to get a closer look. It was the old, crossbred cow; and she was dead. The next question for Farmer Joe was "What do I do now?"

For some, this question is simple - pull her off somewhere on your property and let the coyotes and buzzards take care of it. But, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), there are proper guidelines for disposal of farm or ranch animals.

TCEQ's document RG-419 summarizes the farm animal guidelines which includes disposal regulation, responsibility, time frame, carcass disposal options, and notification requirements.

The documents states "on-farm disposal of farm animals should always be done in a manner that protects public health and safety, does not create a nuisance, prevents the spread of disease, and prevents adverse effects on water quality."

The farm owner, or the one in charge, is responsible for disposal in a timely and sanitary manner. This means within 24 hours of the animal's death, it must be either buried or burned.

If the animal dies from anthrax or ornithosis, it must be burned on-site within 24 hours. An autopsy of the animal is the best way to determine if these diseases are present.

For those who decide to bury the animal, the burial site should not be located in an area with a high water table or with very permeable soils. TCEQ suggests "animals be buried far enough from standing, flowing, or ground water to prevent contamination and in an area not likely to be disturbed in the near future." Other suggestions are burial should be at least 300 feet from the nearest drinking water well, at least 300 feet from the nearest creek, stream, pond, lake, or river and not in a floodplain.

A key note, according to Monica Harris, who is the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations investigation program coordinator, is "burial should be at least 200 feet from adjacent property lines."

The law states the TCEQ be notified by letter when an animal is buried. The letter should "contain your full name and address, the type of animal, and a short description of the location of the farm where the carcass was buried. Information on the anticipated capacity of the burial areas as well as the use of daily and/or final cover should be included, and a map showing the general location of the area would be useful." The letter should be mailed to: Industrial and Hazardous Waste Permits Section, MC-130, TCEQ, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087.

Harris said, "We mainly focus on larger operations and see that the letter of the law is enforced. (And), we would like to be notified if more than 10 head die at one time."

Burning suggestions are the burn should be downwind of, or at least 300 feet from, occupied structures. The burn should be during the day when the wind is less than six miles-per-hour or greater than 23 miles-per-hour. The fire should be completed the same day.

Burial and burning have been mentioned as two options for disposal. Other options include composting or sending the carcass to a municipal solid waste landfill, renderer, or commercial waste incinerator. Harris said the farmer must call their local landfill to find out whether or not they will take the dead animal.

It's also important to "call before you dig," cited the TCEQ document. Know where the gas and utility lines are on the property before digging. A person can call 800-344-8377 to make sure of where the lines are located.

For the complete guidance regulation document, go to the TCEQ website www.tceq.state.tx.us. The document is under the forms and publications category. It should also be noted that chicken or duck carcass disposal have their own set of guidelines.