From Byproducts to Biosecurity: How the U.K. Manages Animal Waste Under DEFRA Regulations

Jyothi Dondero
Oct 25
5 min read

Across the United Kingdom, the management of animal byproducts has become an essential part of the nation’s broader commitment to environmental stewardship and public health. From livestock farms to food-processing facilities, the safe handling of animal waste plays a crucial role in preventing disease transmission, protecting soil and water quality, and supporting the transition toward a circular, low-waste economy. Under the guidance of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), strict regulatory frameworks now govern every stage of animal-byproduct disposal—from classification and collection to processing and reuse—ensuring that materials once regarded as waste are transformed into valuable resources for energy, agriculture, and industry. To understand how these regulations work in practice, it’s important to first examine how animal byproducts are defined and categorized under DEFRA’s waste-management framework.

Understanding Animal Byproducts

Animal byproducts are defined as any animal parts that are not fit for human ingestion and include whole animals such as fallen stock, animal parts and waste from rendering facilities, and animal food waste from restaurants, supermarkets, caterers, and households. In the U.K., animal byproducts and food waste must be disposed of according to the strict guidelines laid down by DEFRA in conjunction with the European Commission. All animal byproducts are classified in the U.K. into one of three categories, each of which carries specific disposal guidelines (DEFRA, Animal By-Products Guidance, 2018).

Category 1: High Risk

Category 1 materials are considered to be the most hazardous to human health and environmental safety. Deceased animals from zoos, circuses, and laboratory settings are placed in this category, as are wild animals and pets, as well as any animal-byproduct waste that is suspected of harboring high-risk contagions. All food waste from catering companies that serve international passenger carriers is also considered to be in the highest-risk category. These food materials originate from outside the United Kingdom or European Union and, as such, their safety cannot be completely guaranteed (DEFRA, Animal By-Products Guidance, 2018). All Category 1 materials must be disposed of via incineration to ensure that any contaminants or disease vectors are completely destroyed (DEFRA, Environmental Permitting Guidance, 2020).

Category 2: Moderate Risk

Category 2 animal-byproduct materials are also considered to pose a high risk for environmental contamination, although the danger of contagion is somewhat lower. Fallen stock and animal parts, such as digestive-tract tissue, are placed in this category. Category 2 also acts as a catch-all category for any animal byproducts that do not clearly meet the standard definitions laid down for each level of the classification system. All Category 2 animal byproducts can be disposed of by means of rendering or composting—processes that convert the waste into valuable products and raw materials such as purified oils and biogas. They can also be incinerated or discarded in a landfill, but these are not the preferred methods of disposal (DEFRA, Animal By-Products Guidance, 2018).

Category 3: Low Risk

Category 3 materials pose a very low environmental risk and include all animal byproducts and food waste generated by commercial food-processing facilities, supermarkets, restaurants, and caterers. There are numerous options available for dealing with Category 3 animal-byproduct waste, all of which are designed to recycle the waste into a range of useful products. Processing and rendering facilities routinely transform these materials into pet-food ingredients, purified oils for use in the oleochemical industry, and even biogas (Environment Agency, Circular Economy Report, 2023).

Fallen Stock: A Case Study in Safe Disposal

Among the most sensitive and tightly regulated areas within DEFRA’s animal byproduct framework is the management of fallen stock—defined as any animal that is stillborn or dies on a farm from disease or natural aging. These carcasses can pose significant biosecurity risks if handled improperly, so DEFRA enforces strict rules governing every aspect of the process, from collection timeframes and mandatory testing to viable disposal options (DEFRA, Fallen Stock Guidance, 2022).

In the past, fallen stock was often buried on the farm where the animal died, which led to a variety of environmental concerns, including potential groundwater and soil contamination—a serious problem that could easily turn deadly if the deceased animal was harboring any dangerous pathogens. In 2003, a ban on the burial of farm animals was implemented in order to mitigate these hazards. As a result, all fallen stock is now subject to testing for dangerous pathogens before disposal, particularly transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), a category of diseases that includes bovine spongiform encephalopathy—better known as mad cow disease.

Under DEFRA regulations, fallen stock must be reported to a collection agency and transported to a testing facility as soon as possible, typically within a few days. Laboratory testing is mandatory for all fallen stock above the age of four years and for those above two years that were born outside specified low-risk countries listed by DEFRA. Any animal found to be carrying a confirmed TSE pathogen is automatically upgraded to a higher-risk hazard category and incinerated.

The National Fallen Stock Scheme

Created by DEFRA as a non-profit organization, the National Fallen Stock Company (NFSCo) matches farmers with reliable collection agencies across the U.K. Collection agencies are responsible for transporting fallen stock to laboratories for testing and for ensuring that disposal occurs in the most appropriate manner. Many of the companies listed on the NFSCo roster of collection agencies offer a full range of green waste-management and recycling options and routinely convert fallen stock into a variety of recycled products, including bone meal, fertilizer, and purified oils.

According to NFSCo’s 2023 data, member collectors handled approximately 500,000 fallen animals across England, Scotland, and Wales—diverting thousands of tonnes of organic material away from landfills and ensuring biosecure, traceable disposal pathways. By disposing of fallen stock in this manner rather than burying the animals, farmers can ensure the continued health of their land, livestock, and surrounding communities. And thanks to DEFRA and NFSCo, the process has become both easier and far more accessible for farmers and collection firms alike.

Toward a Sustainable Future for Agricultural Waste

Over the past two decades, DEFRA’s animal-byproduct and fallen-stock policies have reshaped the landscape of agricultural waste management in the United Kingdom. What was once a loosely regulated process is now governed by a comprehensive framework that emphasizes traceability, safety, and resource recovery. This evolution reflects a broader shift in U.K. agriculture—one that treats animal byproducts not merely as waste to be discarded but as potential inputs in renewable energy, soil restoration, and bio-based manufacturing.

As of 2024, more than 95% of U.K. agricultural byproducts are processed through approved rendering, composting, or anaerobic-digestion facilities rather than through direct landfill or burial (DEFRA, Sustainable Agriculture and Waste Report, 2024). By maintaining rigorous oversight, investing in sustainable disposal infrastructure, and supporting nationwide programs like the National Fallen Stock Company (NFSCo), the U.K. continues to demonstrate that responsible waste management can go hand in hand with agricultural productivity, environmental protection, and circular-economy innovation.

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