NGO Warns of Game Waste Chaos
Animal By-Products
The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) has warned Defra that new proposals from Brussels on the disposal of dead wild animals could cause havoc for their profession and the shooting world.
In a strongly-worded response to a letter from Defra seeking gamekeepers’ views, the NGO said that if the European Commission’s latest proposals were allowed to become law, tons of unfit game carcasses and associated waste could have to be incinerated or rendered in approved plants. The proposed law would catch any shoot or estate selling shot game to a game dealer and could act as a disincentive to the all-important game meat trade.
The NGO said:
“Not only would the proposed law have an economic impact on those who had to pay for expensive disposal, it would also have an environmental cost in terms of diesel for collection, fuel for burning, gas emissions and global warming.”
The NGO continued:
“Wild animal waste is currently buried in deep, underground chambers, as has been best practice for many years. These chambers are present on most farms and country estates and are sited well away from dwellings, public access or watercourses. They have been used for the disposal of unfit carcasses for many decades with no known risk to human or animal health.”
A spokesman for the NGO said the organisation’s forthright response was aimed at helping Defra to argue against the new EU proposals:
“The European Commission’s own paperwork accepts the necessity of tailoring any new the legal requirements to the risk,” he said. “There is no risk in what gamekeepers are doing at the moment, so we have told Defra that the law-makers should leave well alone.”
Click here to read the NGO’s full response to Defra.