Farm Biosecurity: Is Your Fallen Stock Disposal Routine Leaving a Gap?

Biosecurity does not stop at the livestock shed. What happens to fallen stock, and how it moves through your farm, deserves the same attention as visitor access, vehicle hygiene and the movement of equipment.

Even a well-managed farm can overlook parts of its disposal routine. Where is fallen stock stored? Who handles it? Which routes do they use? And what happens to the equipment afterwards?

At Agri Incineration Systems (AIS), we encourage farmers to consider disposal as part of their wider biosecurity plan. Reviewing the complete process can help identify avoidable risks and make everyday management more straightforward.

Start With the Journey From the Shed

The disposal process begins where an animal is found, rather than at the collection point or incinerator.

Think about how fallen stock is removed from livestock areas and transported across the site. A trolley, loader or other piece of equipment used for this task may also be used elsewhere on the farm.

Without clear procedures for handling and cleaning, those movements can create opportunities to carry contamination between areas.

Useful questions to ask include:

• Is there a designated route for moving fallen stock?
• Does that route cross feed deliveries or other clean working areas?
• Can handling equipment be cleaned effectively after use?
• Do staff understand the procedure and their responsibilities?

A practical routine should be easy for everyone to follow, including when the farm is busy.

Review Storage Before Disposal

Where fallen stock is held matters, whether you use an external collection service or an on-site incinerator.

Temporary storage should be secure, managed appropriately and protected from access by scavengers and pests. Its location should also be considered alongside livestock housing, feed storage, drainage and vehicle access.

Review how the arrangement works during your busiest periods. A storage point that is adequate for normal volumes may become difficult to manage when demand increases.

Your farm's veterinary adviser can help assess how storage and disposal arrangements fit into the wider biosecurity plan.

Consider Collection Vehicle Access

External collection is an established disposal route for many farms. The important question is how collection vehicles access the site and where the handover takes place.

Review whether a collection can be completed without vehicles entering sensitive livestock areas or crossing routes used by farm machinery and staff.

Where practical, a clearly defined collection point can help separate external vehicle movements from everyday farm activity. Access arrangements and cleaning procedures should be understood before the vehicle arrives.

The aim is to make each movement deliberate and controlled.

For farms in the UK, check the current GOV.UK guidance on fallen stock and safe disposal and confirm arrangements with your approved collector and relevant adviser.

Where On-Site Incineration Can Help

A suitable on-site farm incinerator gives a farm greater control over its disposal schedule and can reduce reliance on fallen stock collection vehicles entering the site.

It allows disposal to be planned around the farm's operating routine, subject to the equipment's capacity and the conditions under which it is approved to operate.

However, the incinerator is one part of the process. Fallen stock still needs to be moved, handled and loaded appropriately. The disposal area, equipment and staff procedures all remain important.

The strongest approach considers the complete journey: from the livestock area to disposal, followed by cleaning and preparation for the next use.

AIS manufactures Cyclone incinerators for agricultural applications, with equipment selection matched to waste volumes, handling needs and site arrangements.

Choose a Location That Supports the Routine

Convenient access is important, but it should be considered alongside biosecurity and safe operation.

Before installing a farm incinerator, review how staff will reach it, how material will be delivered and where handling equipment will be cleaned and stored.

Site suitability also needs to account for installation requirements, servicing access and the approvals that apply to the proposed operation.

Planning these details early helps avoid a situation where the machine works well but the surrounding workflow creates unnecessary movements or handling.

Make Good Practice Part of Every Working Day

A written procedure is useful only if it reflects what staff can consistently do.

Keep instructions clear and make sure everyone involved understands how to move fallen stock, operate the equipment safely, use appropriate protective equipment and clean up afterwards.

Staff should also know what to do if the normal disposal route becomes unavailable. Equipment downtime, collection delays or increased volumes should trigger an agreed response.

Review the routine when livestock numbers, buildings, staffing or disposal arrangements change.

Match Disposal Capacity to the Farm

Disposal arrangements need to accommodate the farm's actual workload, including foreseeable busy periods.

For a livestock incinerator, that means considering more than chamber size. Waste type, loading arrangements, processing time and staff availability all influence how the system will fit into daily operations.

A correctly selected machine should support a manageable disposal routine. It should also be operated and maintained according to the manufacturer's instructions and the requirements applicable to the site.

AIS offers incinerator servicing and ongoing engineering support to help keep equipment operating reliably. We also provide maintenance and technical support for incinerators manufactured by other brands.

Look at the Whole Process With AIS

Biosecurity depends on a series of consistent actions. Fallen stock disposal deserves a clear place within that system.

At AIS, we manufacture Cyclone incinerators for agricultural applications and help customers consider equipment selection alongside their waste volumes, handling needs and site arrangements.

Whether you are reviewing an existing disposal routine or considering on-site incineration for the first time, start by looking at the complete process.

Speak to Agri Incineration Systems about incorporating on-site disposal into your farm's biosecurity routine. Tell us about your livestock, waste volumes and current arrangements, and we can help you explore a suitable AIS Cyclone system.