Farmers told - use it or lose it

If farmers do not support the scheme, whereby the Government will subsidise the removal of carcasses from properties, it will be abandoned.

The scheme is the response by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to the European Union Animal By-products Regulation.

The regulation made the on-farm burial of animal carcases illegal from Thursday, May 1.

Letters were sent to livestock farmers but so far, only 30 per cent of farmers have pledged support to the scheme, with 50 per cent needed if it is to get off the ground.

Russell Griffin, National Farmers' Union spokesman for Worcestershire and Herefordshire, warned farmers to "use it or lose it".

He said farmers should think very seriously about the alternatives to the scheme, which would require farmers to pay an annual subscription.

"Let's be clear, if this scheme fails to generate the required support, farmers will be faced with the full commercial cost of disposing of animal carcases," he said.

"Defra is effectively offering to heavily subsidise farmers to comply with the new laws but has made it clear that the offer won't be on the table for long if producers aren't interested.

"Farmers who have not responded need to consider the cost of negotiating individual collections with knackermen and renderers.

"This is an opportunity for the industry to help itself and we very much hope that it is one it will take."

Under the proposed subscription scheme, smallholdings would pay £50 a year, medium-sized farms would pay £100 a year and large farms £200 a year.

The deadline for responses to the scheme has been extended, to Wednesday, May 28.

To register interest in the scheme, farmers should phone Defra's helpline, on 0845 850 7070.

Farmers who did not receive a letter about the scheme, or have lost it, can phone 08459 335577.

Alternatively the letter can be downloaded from www.defra.gov. ukanimalh/byprods/fallen/NewRules.pdf.