Toll Free 1800 572 9282 
mailus@wbcsmadeeasy.in
W.B.C.S. Examination Notes On – Disinfection And Disposal Of Carcasses – Animal Husbandry Notes.
The primary objective of disposal of carcasses, animal products, materials and wastes is to prevent the dissemination of infection.Continue Reading W.B.C.S. Examination Notes On – Disinfection And Disposal Of Carcasses – Animal Husbandry Notes.
This process is therefore part of an emergency animal disease eradication programme, particularly when a stamping-out policy is followed. It is important from an aesthetic point of view. Disposal should be completed as soon as possible after destruction, to minimize opportunities for infectious material to disperse. Carcasses are much easier to handle before decomposition has set in.
This manual outlines disposal methods appropriate for the emergency animal diseases most readily transmitted by fomites-foot-and-mouth disease, Newcastle disease, African swine fever and avian influenza – and zoonotic diseases. Less rigorous disposal methods may be appropriate for less readily transmitted diseases and non-zoonotic diseases. Carcasses and other items awaiting disposal should be guarded to prevent unauthorized access and to prevent domestic pets, wild animals and birds from removing potentially infectious material. Control of insects should be considered if there is a risk of passive transmission by insects to nearby susceptible species. If disposal is delayed, carcasses should be thoroughly sprayed with an approved disinfectant.
General factors to be considered are:
- nature and amount of material for disposal;
- availability of sites suitable for burial or cremation adjacent to the destruction site;
- accessibility to disposal site by heavy transport vehicles;
- nature of soil/rock formation in the available area;
- level of watertable;
- proximity to water catchment areas, bores and wells;
- presence of services such as water, gas, electricity, telephone lines, drainage, sewerage and other improvements or structures, including aerial lines;
- proximity to built-up areas and dwellings, particularly in the case of cremation;
- fire restrictions and hazards in the case of cremation;
- weather conditions, including prevailing winds; it may be easier to cremate in excessively wet conditions;
- availability of plant for burial;
- availability of supplies of suitable fuel for cremation;
- presence of overhead structures such as power lines; these must be avoided when selecting burial and cremation sites;
- quantities of carcasses and other material for disposal;
- subsequent plans for the use of the area; for example, the soil may be unstable where burial pits are placed.
Disposal of animal carcasses and other infectious material may involve some adverse environmental consequences. It is important for the environmental aspects of proposed disposal activities to be properly considered, with advice from environmental agencies where possible, so as to ensure that the impact of such consequences be minimized. Consultation with relevant authorities, e.g. environmental protection agencies, will be necessary to obtain specific information on a number of these factors.
Burial –
Site selection
Important considerations for selecting burial sites include:
- access for equipment to dig the burial pit and for the delivery of livestock, carcasses or other materials to be buried;
- environmental aspects, such as:
- the distance to watercourses, bores and wells
- height of the watertable
- proximity to buildings, especially houses
- proximity to neighbours or public lands including roads
- slope of the land and drainage to and from the pit
- permeability of soil
- space for temporary storage of overburden
- direction of prevailing wind (odour);
- construction considerations:
- avoid rocky areas, which slow digging and increase costs
- select stable soils that can take the weight of equipment used to construct and fill the pits
- prevent surface runoff from entering the pit by constructing of diversion banks
- construct similar banks to prevent liquids escaping from the burial site
- fencing may be necessary to exclude animals until the site is safe for use.
Earthmoving equipment
The preferred equipment for digging burial pits is an excavator, which is the most efficient for the construction of long, deep pits with vertical sides. Advantages include the ability to store topsoil separate from subsoil. The equipment can be used to fill the pit with carcasses or other materials and close it without disturbing the carcasses.
Loaders, bulldozers, road graders and backhoes – or manual labour for small jobs – may be used if excavators are unavailable. With the exception of backhoes, all other equipment requires continual movement of the machine over the site while the pit is being dug. Excavators and backhoes remain in a fixed position, so they move soil faster, with less cost and less damage to the area around the pit. Most excavators have an attachable hammer for excavating rock.
Burial pit construction
The dimensions of the burial pit will depend on the equipment used, site considerations and the volume of material to be buried. Pits should be as deep as possible, with vertical sides; reach of machinery, soil type and watertable level are the usual constraints. The pit should of a width such that the equipment can fill it evenly with the material to be buried. If a bulldozer is used, for example, the pit should be no more than one blade width, about 3 metres, because it may be difficult to push carcasses in from one side and fill the pit evenly. The aim should be to avoid having to move carcasses once they are in the pit. The length of the pit will be determined by the volume of material to be buried.
Pit dimensions
In deciding the dimensions of the pit, consideration needs to be given to the method of filling the pit with carcasses or other material. Carcasses will generally be unloaded from tipper trucks or pushed into the pit by a loader or bulldozer from one of the long sides. Excavators may be used to fill pits with carcasses placed close by; this is useful if soil stability does not permit trucks or other heavy equipment to operate close to the pit edge.
Please subscribe here to get all future updates on this post/page/category/website
