Subject 40-13-5 DEAD ANIMAL DISPOSAL
| (1) |
Dead animals
means the carcasses, parts of carcasses, fetuses, embryos, effluent, or blood
of the following:
| (a) |
Livestock, including,
without limitations, cattle, swine, sheep, goats, poultry, ratites, equine, and
alternative livestock. |
| (b) |
Animals
associated with animal shelters, pet dealers, kennels, stables, and bird
dealers licensed by the Department. |
| (c) |
Animals processed by commercial
facilities which process animals for human consumption, and |
| (d) |
Animals associated with wildlife
exhibitions. |
|
| (1) |
No person shall abandon on any property
any animals which have died or have been killed. |
| (2) |
No person shall dispose of any dead
animals on another person's property without having the land owner's
permission. |
| (3) |
No person shall
dispose of any dead animal in a city, county, or duly licensed landfill without
permission of the landfill manager. |
| (4) |
Under no conditions shall dead animals be
abandoned in wells, open pits, or surface waters of any kind either on private
or public land. |
| (1) |
Livestock sales
markets, livestock slaughter establishments, concentrated animal feeding
operations, and Georgia Department of Agriculture licensed animal shelters,
kennels, pet dealers, stables, and bird dealers shall have a written and
approved method and place for disposal of dead animals and all accessory waste
material involved in handling dead animals which die on or within the premises
of each licensed establishment. A Certificate of Compliance may be issued from
the Department. |
| (2) |
Poultry
growers, poultry dealers or brokers, and poultry sales establishments may be
issued a Certificate of Compliance from the Department when the methods and
places of dead animal disposal are approved. |
| (3) |
Any person found to be in violation of
dead animal disposal rules may be required to have written approval from the
State Veterinarian for future dead animal disposal. |
| (4) |
The Commissioner shall approve the
methods and places for disposal of dead animals. |
Methods which may be used for the disposal of dead animals
are burning to ash, incineration, burial, rendering, or any method using
appropriate disposal technology which has been approved by the Commissioner,
provided disposal of dead animals is carried out within 24 hours after death or
discovery of the dead animal.
| (1) |
Burial. Dead animals that are buried must be located more than 100 horizontal
feet away from any existing or proposed wells and water supply lines, 15
horizontal feet away from the edge of any embankment, and 100 horizontal feet
away from the seasonal high water level of any pond, lake, tributary, stream,
or other body of water including wetlands. Burial sites must be in soil with
moderate or slow permeability and must be at least one foot above the seasonal
high groundwater elevation. Burial sites must not be located in areas with
gullies, ravines, dry stream beds, natural and/or man made drainage ways, sink
holes, and/or similar conditions, including the 100-year flood plain as
determined by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
| (a) |
Dead animals that are buried must be at
least three feet below the ground level but no more than eight feet and have
not less than three feet of earth over the carcass. |
| (b) |
Dead animals may be disposed in pits
which are designed, constructed, maintained and used in a manner to prevent the
spread of diseases. Pits must also meet the following requirements:
| 1. |
Georgia Department of Agriculture
personnel must approve the site prior to pit construction. Soils must be
evaluated for suitability prior to pit construction by a certified Georgia
Department of Agriculture employee or a certified soil classifier. |
| 2. |
The bottom of the pit must be a soil with
moderate or slow permeability or other material approved by the Georgia
Department of Agriculture that prevents leaching. |
| 3. |
Pits must have adequate support along the
sides to prevent cave-ins and must not exceed four feet in width. For top-soils
having 18 inches or more of sand, pit walls must be adequately supported and
maintained by concrete, treated lumber, corrosive-resistant metal or other
material approved by the Georgia Department of Agriculture. |
| 4. |
Pits must not be located where the ground
slope exceeds a moderate grade. |
| 5. |
The pit cover must be of solid construction and must allow surface water to
drain away from the pit and water supplies. The pit must be sealed to prevent
the entry of rodents, insects, and the exit of odors. |
| 6. |
Pits will be considered closed when
covered with more than three feet of loamy or clayey textured soil with a
slight dome (at least six inches higher in the middle than at the
edge). |
| 7. |
Any pit that deviates
from the above criteria must have the approval of the State Veterinarian prior
to the issuance of a permit and use. |
|
|
| (2) |
Landfill. Dead animals may be disposed in
landfills approved to dispose of animal carcasses by the Georgia Department of
Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division. Dead animals must be
covered by three feet of dirt at the landfill on the same day as
delivery. |
| (3) |
Composting.
Composters and their use must be consistent with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service technical guidance
standards. Temperatures must be monitored using a compost thermometer at least
every other day, with daily checks being preferred. Composters must reach a
temperature between 130 and 160 degrees F in order to properly decompose
carcasses and neutralize pathogens. |
| (4) |
Incineration. Incinerators and their use
must meet all requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and
Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division. The
entire carcass must be reduced to ashes. |
| (5) |
Burning. Burning dead animals must comply
with federal, state, and local requirements. The entire carcass must be reduced
to ashes. |
| (6) |
Rendering. Carcass
disposed by rendering must be delivered to the rendering facility within
twenty-four (24) hours of death unless carcasses are refrigerated or
frozen. |
| (7) |
Other dead animal
disposal methods must be approved by the State Veterinarian on a case by case
basis. |
| (1) |
The Commissioner of Agriculture may
prohibit or restrict the hauling or transportation of the body, effluent and/or
parts of any dead animal. |
| (2) |
Dead
animals must be transported in covered or leak-proof containers. |
| (3) |
The Commissioner of Agriculture may
determine the route for transportation of dead animals so as to prevent the
spread of infectious or contagious diseases. |
| (4) |
Persons engaged in the commercial
transportation of dead animals must have a written permit issued by the Georgia
Department of Agriculture. |
| (1) |
Dead animals, except for green salted
hides, are not allowed to enter Georgia except by a written permit issued by
the Georgia Department of Agriculture. |
| (2) |
Written permits are not required for
licensed research institutions, accredited or state colleges and Universities,
and municipal governments transporting or receiving dead animals for research
or investigational purposes only. |
Any person, firm, partnership or corporation violating the
provisions of this act, or any rule or regulations made pursuant thereto, shall
be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punished as
provided by law.
