Guidance for on-farm burial of carcasses in an emergency animal disease outbreak

This guidance has been developed to help land managers and livestock owners plan for and respond to an emergency animal disease (EAD) outbreak where carcasses may need to be buried and can be done so on-farm.

If an EAD outbreak is declared, Agriculture Victoria will be responsible for the destruction and disposal of animal carcasses, including those that can be buried on-farm.

The immediate disposal of carcasses after destruction, along with animal products, materials and wastes, is an essential part of preventing the spread of disease. It is important that burial of waste is done in a way that minimises disease spread, as well as any adverse effects on the environment, public health and the community.

On-farm burial is an important option, as it removes the risk of spreading the disease that may occur if carcasses and other products were taken off-farm for disposal. The extent to which on-farm burial can be used will depend on the size, location and characteristics of the farm and the number of carcasses that need to be buried.

Your farm biosecurity plans

The purpose of this guidance is to help you ensure your farm biosecurity plan includes details about if, where and how carcasses could be buried on your property.

By doing this planning ahead of time, you can help with timely decision-making in an EAD event and support Victoria to be well prepared to respond quickly to the outbreak.

On-farm burial

Approval needed

Agriculture Victoria is the agency responsible for the control and eradication of emergency animal diseases. If your farm is impacted by an EAD outbreak, Agriculture Victoria or other representative will be on-site and direct the safe destruction, disposal and decontamination of infected and at-risk livestock and property. The necessary activities will be directed by Agriculture Victoria but may be carried out by others including property managers or owners, contractors or government employees.

Agriculture Victoria representatives will work with you and EPA Victoria as required to ensure that burial pit locations are suitable and that any necessary approvals are in place.

Agriculture Victoria will also discuss with you the size and technical specifications of the pit(s) to be built, depending on the number of animals to be buried and the area’s characteristics, including soil type, slope, tree cover etc.

EPA Victoria’s on-farm burial criteria, as outlined in this guidance, will inform approval decisions and are in place to maintain the safety of the local environment and public health.

Burial site assessment

Trench burial is the most suitable form of on-farm burial. Trench burial involves excavating a trench (or pit), into the ground, placing carcasses and other materials in the unlined pit and covering the materials (backfilling) with excavated earth. Typically, this takes place on the farm where animals are from.

Depending on your property and the number of livestock to be buried, multiple trenches may be needed in safe, spaced-out locations (see below for specific details on the typical size, design and spacing of trenches).

Pit location

To determine where a burial pit might be dug in an EAD event, a site-specific risk assessment must be undertaken. This will determine if and where on-farm burial can be done safely to manage the risks, particularly to surface and groundwater, and to manage the risk to the surrounding amenity.

The following criteria have been developed to assist you in mapping out any areas on your property that might be suitable for trench burial of carcasses. They are the same elements that Agriculture Victoria staff will consider when undertaking the risk assessment process in an EAD event.

To minimise the risks associated with on-farm disposal of animal carcasses and other wastes, ideally a burial pit should be located:

• at least 200 metres from any groundwater supply (stock and domestic bore)
• at least 2 metres above the water table level (measured from the bottom of the pit)
• at least 200 metres from any surface water (creek, river, lake or spring), excluding dams that are not seeping into groundwater or flowing offsite
• away from surface water drainage features, low points or areas at risk of erosion
• on clay soil of low permeability and good stability
• away from underground and above-ground infrastructure (such as powerlines, telephone and fibre optic lines, gas lines, waterpipes or sewerage)
• above the one in 100-year flood level
• at least 200 metres from another burial area
• on elevated land but with a slope of less than 5% (preferably less than 2%)
• away from conservation areas and areas of cultural sensitivity
• at least 200 metres from the boundary of neighbouring privately owned land
• at least 300 metres from any sensitive use (such as a neighbouring house)
• out of view of the public (by either being far away from public areas or by screening).

Where properties don’t meet the criteria

When undertaking an assessment of your property, you may find that there are no immediate locations that suitably meet the above criteria. This may be particularly relevant if you manage a smaller property (60 hectares or less). It is still valuable to know which criteria cannot be met and why, as this will assist Agriculture Victoria’s assessment of the risks associated with digging burial pits on your property. Identifying the risks and recording this information as part of your biosecurity plan will assist in decision-making during an EAD event.

If your farm is affected by an EAD outbreak, Agriculture Victoria will undertake a risk-based assessment to determine whether there is an area(s) suitable for on-farm burial. For example, Agriculture Victoria will assess risks based on the number and type of animals to be disposed, soil type, the use of neighbouring properties and risk to amenity or waterways on neighbouring land.

Where Agriculture Victoria’s assessment is that the property does not have an area that would allow for the safe burial of EAD waste, then carcasses will be transported offsite and disposed of elsewhere.

Soil structure, composition, stability

Soils with clay subsoil are most suitable for burial trenches or composting areas. Soils with high permeability (sand, gravel or rocky soils) are to be avoided where possible.

Underground and above-ground infrastructure 

Pits will be located a safe distance away from underground and above-ground infrastructure (such as powerlines, telephone lines, fibre optic cables, gas lines, water pipes and sewerage pipes). Including infrastructure on your farm map in your biosecurity plan will ensure these locations are avoided when digging pits or accessing the site.

Proximity to conservation areas and Aboriginal Cultural Heritage areas

Burial site must be far enough away from conservation areas and areas of cultural sensitivity (such as midden sites and scar trees) to preserve the values associated with these areas.

Check the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Register and Information System to find out where these sensitive sites are and included them on your farm map.

It is important to consider your local Traditional Owner group’s cultural values when updating your biosecurity plan and farm map. There are no specific indicators that apply to all groups the same way, as they are geographically and culturally specific to individual groups.

Sites of Aboriginal Cultural Heritage should be identified in your farm map to help ensure pit locations are well away from such sites. You can find out which Traditional Owner group your property is within using this interactive map. If you find an Aboriginal Cultural Heritage site on your property that is not currently registered, it is important to report it to First Peoples – State Relations.

GPS location

The location of each burial site will be recorded by Agriculture Victoria for future reference using a global positioning system (GPS).

Pit construction and carcass burial

In the event of an EAD outbreak, Agriculture Victoria will arrange for burial pits to be dug and for the burial of animal carcasses to be undertaken in a safe and appropriate way, in line with safe construction requirements and the burial procedure outlined below.

Agriculture Victoria will undertake humane destruction activities as close to the burial site as possible. This will depend on accessibility to the site for machinery and equipment and the ability to move and handle livestock at the site.

• The typical method of digging a pit is to construct a deep, narrow, vertically sided pit (trench burial), but this will be dictated by the soil stability (see Figure 1).
• Where soil stability is of concern, a battered design is used to enhance operator safety (see Figure 2).
• Where possible, pits will be lined with carbon materials such as hay, straw and wood shavings to absorb some of the liquids that will leach out from the carcasses.
• Carcasses will not be piled over 3 metres deep.
• Carcasses will be covered with at least 2 metres of soil.
• Pits will be covered with a low permeability clay mound after backfilling to allow for subsistence over time and to reduce rainwater going in.
• Pits will not be compacted heavily as this can slow down the natural decaying process.
• Where necessary, cut-off drains will be excavated upslope of the burial pits to direct surface run-off away from the pits.
• Wherever possible, rehabilitating the burial area will be undertaken promptly after burial (for example, seeding with grasses native to the area) and if required, additional erosion controls put in place until the area is vegetated.

Distance to other pits

Depending on the number of animals to be buried, multiple pits may need to be dug. Agriculture Victoria will arrange for these on-farm earthworks to be undertaken in a safe and appropriate way, however for planning purposes, note that multiple pits of the dimensions described below, in any one burial area, should be spaced more than 10 metres apart and each burial area spaced at least 200 metres apart.

Separating the pits is needed to ensure safe access to the area and maintaining the land’s stability. The positioning of the pits will depend on soil type and other land characteristics (such as slope).

Example diagrams of burial pits