The Animal By-Products Regulations 2005 require that horses,
when they die, are disposed of without delay at a premises approved
under the regulations for proper collection or disposal, for
example at an approved knackers yard, incinerator or renderer,
either by private arrangement, or under the
National Fallen
Stock Scheme (new window).
To locate an approved knacker, incinerator or renderer contact
your local
Animal Health Office (new window).
However, Regulation 28 states that
pet animals may be buried (new window), a
pet animal being defined as any animal belonging to a species
normally nourished and kept, but not consumed, by humans for
purposes other than farming.
In the EU the horse has a different status to those in the UK in
that they are used for work and are kept and bred for human
consumption, thereby not falling within the definition of a pet
animal. The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(Defra) are of the opinion that some horses in the UK are genuinely
kept as pets by some people, and if this is the case then they ask
local authorities to adopt a flexible approach and permit the
burial of pet horses.
Suffolk Coastal will adopt such an approach, and if a horse is a
genuine pet, it may be buried when it dies. If you want to bury a
pet horse you are advised to contact the Environmental Protection
team on 01394 444238 to advise them of the burial.
You will be asked to submit a map or plan to show the approximate
location of the burial site.
The burial must be on land in the ownership of the horse owner
or on land that the horse owner has written consent from the
landowner to use. The location and depth of the burial site must
comply with the following:
- be at least 250m away from any well, borehole or spring that
supplies water for human consumption or to be used in farm
dairies;
- be at least 30m away from any other spring or watercourse, and
at least 10m away from any field drain;
- be deep enough for at least 1m of soil to cover the
carcass;
- when first dug, the bottom of the hole must be free of standing
water;
- the carcass must be covered with topsoil
straightaway.
More information about
the Animal By-Products Regulations (new window)
is available on Defra's
website.