LMC Report: Older Cattle Disposal Scheme Ends

UK - The Older cattle Disposal Scheme (OCDS) closed on 31 December 2008, which means that from 1 January 2009 there is no longer compensation available for the disposal of cattle born or imported into the UK before 1 August 1996.
calendar icon 19 January 2009
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A total of 406,000 cattle were disposed of through the scheme since its initiation in 2006. Whilst throughput in December 2008 was 30% higher than in December 2007, as producers disposed of older stock before the year end, overall slaughterings in 2008 were less than one per cent higher than in 2007.

While cattle born or reared before 1 August 1996 may continue to be traded in the UK, it remains illegal to send them for slaughter in a fresh meat abattoir or to export them from the UK. At the end of their productive lives, they must now be disposed of as fallen cattle (i.e. cattle that die or are killed other than for human consumption) at the producer’s own expense, and with testing for BSE.

Within Northern Ireland there were 61,700 head killed through the scheme with 19,700 being killed in 2008, a three per cent increase on the number slaughtered in 2007.

Further Reading

- You can view the full report by clicking here.

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