An unfortunate reality of animal production is death loss. This factsheet will introduce you to alternative disposal methods and Alberta's minimum legal requirements for each system. In-depth information on mortality disposal can be found in Poultry Mortality Disposal in Alberta a publication available from Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. Computerized economic analysis software is also available for download at http://www.agric.gov.ab.ca/livestock/poultry/MeanInstall.exe
Rendering is a heating process that extracts recyclable ingredients such as protein and fat from offal. It is simple, relatively low in cost and sustainable because a waste product is converted to a useful and valuable resource.
Advantages:
Nutrients are recycled
Low maintenance
Disadvantages:
Pick-up fees may be charged if your farm is not located near the rendering plant
You'll need a biosecurity plan to prevent disease spreading to your farm from the rendering truck
Purchase of a freezer may be required to store carcasses
An economic analysis for rendering can be found on page 16 of Poultry MortalityDisposal in Alberta.
Composting is a natural process which reduces and transforms organic wastes into a useful end product - compost - which can be used as a fertilizer without danger of disease transfer. There are a few things you need to know before you can compost carcasses on your farm. The compost facility must be:
Located at least 100 m from wells or other domestic water intakes, streams, creeks, ponds, springs and high water marks of lakes and at least 25 m from the edge of a coulee, major cut or embankment
Located at least 100 m from any residences
Designed in a manner to exclude scavengers
Located at least 100 m from any livestock facilities, including pastures, situated on land owned or leased by another person
Advantages:
Compost can be used as fertilizer, reducing fertilizer costs for crop operations
Environmentally safe
Disadvantages:
Initial cost of constructing compost facility
Labour intensive since daily monitoring is required
Land or a suitable market is required to utilize the finished product
An economic analysis for composting can be found on page 19 of Poultry Mortality Disposal in Alberta.
Incineration
Biologically, this is the safest method. Carcasses are burned using an approved incinerator that meets air emission guidelines. The incinerator must meet the guidelines of the Substance Release Regulation, the Code of Practice for Small Incinerators, and must meet any municipal by-laws.
Advantages:
Biologically the safest method - complete destruction of carcasses and potential disease agents
Disadvantages:
Organic nutrients are not recycled, but destroyed
Initial cost is high
Ongoing costs for incinerator operation
Improper operation of incinerator can create unpleasant odors and could result in a nuisance complaint.
An economic analysis of incineration can be found on page 22 of Poultry Mortality Disposal in Alberta.
Burial
A simple option which requires that a pit be dug and later filled with carcasses. The legal requirements for burial are:
The weight of dead animals in the pit cannot exceed 2500 kg
The pit must be located
at least 100 m from wells or other domestic water intakes, streams, creeks, ponds, springs and high water marks of lakes and at least 25 m from the edge of a coulee, major cut or embankment
at least 100 m from any residences
at least 100 m from any livestock facilities, including pastures, situated on land owned or leased by another person
at least 300 m from a primary highway, 100 m from a secondary highway and at least 50 m from any other road allowance
The pit must be covered with
either a minimum of 1m of loose soil or 0.6 m of compacted soil (or)
a wooden or metal lid that is designed to exclude scavengers if quicklime is applied to the dead animals in sufficient quantities to control flies and odor.
The bottom of the pit must be 1 m above the seasonal high water table.
Advantages:
Capital expense is limited to land
Disadvantages:
Nutrients are not recycled as in rendering and composting
Risk of disease spread if carcasses are improperly buried
Difficult or impossible to bury during winter
Possibility of environmental damage due to leaching
Large land base required for large operations
An economic analysis for burial can be found on page 25 of Poultry Mortality Disposal in Alberta.
Natural Disposal
Natural disposal is NOT an acceptable means of disposing of your dead birds. It will be difficult to dispose of birds this way since the location of disposal sites is subject to strict guidelines. The legal requirements are:
Total weight of animals to be disposed at one site cannot exceed 1000 kg
Disposal sites must be located 500 m from each other
Sites must be located
at least 500 m from wells or other domestic water intakes, streams, creeks, ponds, springs and high water marks of lakes and at least 25 m from the edge of a coulee, major cut or embankment
at least 400 m from any residences
at least 400 m from any livestock facilities, including pastures, situated on land owned or leased by another person
at least 400 m from any provincial park, recreation area, natural area, ecological reserve, wilderness area or forest recreation area
Disposal cannot create a nuisance.
Advantages:
Advantages are outweighed by disadvantages, and this method is not recommended.
Disadvantages:
Threat of disease transmission is high
Does not promote a good image of the poultry industry
Large land base required to meet siting requirements
Possible surface run-off contamination, in addition to leaching that could damage groundwater resources.
To order a copy of Poultry Mortality Disposal in Alberta write to:
# 204 J.G. O' Donoghue Building, 7000-113 Street, Edmonton, AB T6H 5T6
This information is maintained by Brenda Schneider
Last Revised/Reviewed August 21, 2002
