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.
