New animal by-products regulations came into force yesterday prohibiting the burial of fallen stock on a farm.

The Animal By-Products Regulations 2003 also require abattoirs to retain and dispose of blood according to prescribed methods, as well as the disposal of fallen stock after it has been removed from the farm.Forum Response: Country Land and Business Association

A spokesman for the Country Land and Business Association told ePolitix.com: "The CLA did not support this EU law, on which the industry was consulted in detail after it had been agreed by member state governments and lobbied for a delay in the introduction until alternative disposal methods and local rules could be agreed on a risk based approach, but Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has not agreed.

"The CLA lobbied for a systematic assessment of the likely costs and difficulties for smaller and medium sized abattoirs of the requirement for blood to be retained and disposed of via renderers and for financial help to be explored for vulnerable abattoirs to comply with the new law.

"We have also pressed the government to inform the industry how other member states are treating smaller abattoirs, for example whether they are according them favourable 'artisanale' status. This is because these abattoirs may play an important role in enabling primary producers to find market outlets for high quality meat, and for that product to be marketed locally or directly to the consumer.

"Initiatives such as these to promote local or direct food chains have been encouraged by the government and Regional Development Agencies and were also encouraged in the Curry Report."However it is regulation, agreed by the UK government, which is now threatening the survival of some of these food chains - and the choice for consumers to buy the products the threatened abattoirs produce. The regulatory impact assessment produced by the government to justify these regulations relies on a survey of abattoirs that asked simply whether they had the tanks needed to retain blood, prior to disposal.

"The survey did not assess the likely impact of the regulations on the smaller abattoirs sector. Nor, it would appear, has the government exhausted the possibilities of offering some help to the abattoirs in question, for example by checking what the position is in other member states.

"The disposal of waste food was differently dealt with as between large supermarkets and small and medium sized enterprises in the food business. Why?

"Other EU members have much better developed infrastructure for making beneficial use of food waste, including animal by-products. For example, Germany has over 1500 farm and community based biogas plants, which convert waste into safe soil conditioner and produce renewable energy. There are huge obstacles to setting up such systems in UK, and we are urging the new DEFRA waste strategy team to take this on board."

Forum Response: Countryside Alliance

Simon Hart, director of the Campaign for Hunting, told ePolitix.com: "The Alliance recognises the need for a national collection scheme, which must include hunt kennels, but has reservations about the economic sustainability of DEFRA's proposals at the suggested subscription levels.

"The majority of fallen stock processors recommended by local DEFRA offices are hunt kennels and they are doing everything they can to help their local farmers with fallen livestock disposal.

"The Council of Hunting Associations has also been involved in discussions with DEFRA about the setting-up of the subscription scheme. Hunt kennels are at present the only 'national collection scheme' but many hunts are unsure whether they can afford to upgrade to knackers' yard standards in order to continue taking fallen stock. DEFRA has so far failed to clarify what those standards entail and local interpretations have varied widely.

"Hunts are also operating in the shadow of the government's Hunting Bill which, as it now stands, would close most kennels and further restrict the options for fallen stock disposal.

"The regulations may have an impact beyond the livestock sector. For instance race horses such as Red Rum can no longer be buried at the scene of their triumph and while it remains legal to bury a human body in your garden it may be prohibited to bury some pets."

Forum Response: Federation of Small Businesses

The FSB told ePolitix.com: "The FSB is concerned about the costs for business to comply with the new animal by-products regulations. We broadly support moves by DEFRA to ease the regulatory burden on businesses directly involved in the disposal of waste. However, this issue extends beyond the abattoir and farming industry.

"While the definition of animal by-products includes catering waste, any small business that prepares food or has food delivered onsite will be affected.

"We have seen little evidence that the UK's waste disposal infrastructure is prepared to deal with the increased separation and disposal of animal by-products waste. If local collectors do not have the ability to deal with segregated waste, and access to a separate disposal facility, the burden of disposal will lie with individual businesses.

"That this may lead to small businesses carrying the costs for compliance is a dangerous possibility."