Emergency Animal Burial Sites

by Todd L. Thurston, Area Engineer
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Hutchinson, Kansas

Terrorism and the need to protect our society is a big topic in today’s political arena. Ever since 9-11-01 there has been a heightened awareness of terrorism in this country. American agriculture has become a relatively easy and/or attractive target for terrorists. The disruption of, or loss of confidence in, our food supply could be the goal of the terrorists. American agriculture is not a heavily guarded industry so it is up to us in the industry to protect ourselves. Each livestock producer needs to develop a plan to protect themselves and help protect their neighbors and community.

If a foreign animal disease, i.e., foot and mouth disease, is detected in a facility, then an exposed zone (1.5 mile radius) and a quarantine area (4.5 mile radius beyond the exposed zone) will be established around the infected premises. The euthanasia and burial of all animals within the exposed zone would begin immediately, as in the example of an outbreak of a contagious disease. The State of Kansas will be in charge of these operations and will direct all activities within the quarantine area. These activities will include the indemnification appraisals, restriction of access in and out of the quarantine area, and euthanasia and burial of the animals. How long this process takes to carry out could affect how quickly the contagious disease is stopped from moving or spreading to other feeding facilities in the community.

The animals that have been euthanized will be buried in a trench or pit and covered with a minimum of three (3) feet of soil. The disposal trench/pit will then be monitored for a period of time in the future.

What can each producer do to help protect themselves? The first step in this process is to develop a plan for your facility for pre-selection of an emergency animal burial site. This plan will outline the location and size of an emergency burial site to be constructed for your facility in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak. This disposal site will not be constructed or used until authorized by the State of Kansas at the time of a confirmed outbreak of a contagious disease. If you have developed a plan for your facility, and a contagious disease has been confirmed, the disposal site will be constructed and located as planned. The advantage of pre-planning is two-fold. First is the fact that you have the choice of where the disposal site is located (not a state official who is not familiar with your operation). Secondly, your disposal site can be constructed quicker so the threat of spreading the contagious disease will be confined rapidly.

If you are interested in finding out more information on this subject, or if you are interested in pre-selecting of an emergency livestock disposal plan for your facility, please contact your local your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office or conservation district office located at your local county USDA Service Center or the Kansas Animal Health Department.

For more information about NRCS programs, visit the Kansas NRCS Web site at www.ks.nrcs.usda.gov.

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Emergency Animal Burial Sites (DOC; 34 KB)

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Last Modified: 09/04/2008