Trials examine pig compost
Trials examine pig compost
PIGS could be turned into compost if trials currently taking place prove successful.
In the UK, many thousands of injured pigs are culled by the industry each year – about 1.4% of the number produced.
The current recommended best disposal practice is burial, well away from any watercourse. However, burial will become a less favoured option under the European Unions new integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC) regime.
Environmentally friendly
Although the introduction of IPPC has been postponed until 2007, trials are under way to discover the most environmentally friendly disposal method.
The trials are taking place at a private site in Norfolk but the Environment Agency is unwilling to identify the location.
Nick Johnson, a senior agency official based at its Norwich office, says: "Future legislation will increase the restriction placed on the disposal of animal carcasses."
Pig composting, if it goes ahead, will be subject to strict controls over the use of "diseased" carcasses to prevent any risk to human health. *