Chorley fallen stock collection covers two very different kinds of farming. To the east, the borough climbs onto the edge of the West Pennine Moors at Rivington, Anglezarke and Heapey, where sheep graze the moor fringe above the reservoirs. To the west, the land drops to the flat, fertile ground around Eccleston, Croston and Mawdesley, with dairy herds, arable and mixed holdings. Martlands is a family-run, DEFRA approved business based in Burscough, a short drive away, providing fallen stock and ABP collection to every corner of the borough.
Whether you have lost a dairy cow near Croston, a ewe on the moor edge above Wheelton or a horse at a livery yard on the outskirts of town, this guide explains your legal duties and how we get the carcass off your holding quickly and properly.
Chorley fallen stock collection across the borough
Chorley sits at a crossroads that makes collection straightforward. The M61 and M6 both pass through the borough, and the A6 runs north to south through the town itself, so most farms are only a short run from a main route. The challenge is usually the last mile. Moorland farms reached off the A675 or up the narrow lanes from Rivington and White Coppice can have steep tracks, cattle grids and tight gateways, while lowland yards around Croston and Bretherton may be down long concrete roads across wet fields. Our farm and fallen stock collection service is built around that kind of access, and telling us about it when you call helps us send the right vehicle. The official guidance on fallen stock and safe disposal of dead animals sets out the legal duties in full.
Reservoir catchments and why carcasses cannot be left or buried
Much of the high ground around Rivington, Anglezarke and Heapey drains into reservoirs owned by United Utilities, and many of the farms there are tenanted, often with tenancy terms that reflect the sensitivity of the catchment. A carcass left in a field or tipped into a clough does not just break the law. It puts fluids and bacteria into becks that feed drinking water supplies.
On-farm burial and burning of fallen stock has been banned since 2003, with only very limited derogations for genuinely remote areas, and Chorley does not qualify. Down on the lower land the problem is the same in a different form. The River Yarrow and River Lostock meet near Croston, the ground floods readily, and the water table on the plain towards Mawdesley is high. A buried carcass on that ground is effectively sitting in groundwater. Licensed collection is the only legal route, and it is the responsible one.
Dairy herds, BSE testing and cattle paperwork
Dairy farming remains important on the lower land around Eccleston and Croston, and older cows make up a large share of cattle deaths. Any fallen bovine over 48 months must be BSE tested, and Martlands is a DEFRA approved processing and sampling facility, so we can collect and sample in one movement. Cattle over 12 months contain specified risk material and the whole carcass is handled as Category 1, through our Category 1 ABP collection route. The government also publishes detailed guidance on animal by-product categories and disposal.
Remember the cattle paperwork. The death must be reported to BCMS within 7 days and the passport returned. Calves and youngstock under 12 months, along with pigs, poultry and horses, are generally Category 2, collected through our Category 2 ABP collection service. If a single collection mixes categories, it is treated as the highest-risk category present.
Sheep on the moor fringe
Flocks grazing the in-bye and moorland edge between Belmont, Rivington and Brinscall face the usual hill hazards. Ewes get cast in rough ground, autumn brings fluke and pneumonia, and winter weather catches out stock on the tops. Adult sheep over 12 months or with a permanent incisor erupted are Category 1 because of specified risk material, younger lambs generally Category 2.
Finding a dead ewe on the moor is often the hardest part. Bring the carcass down to a point the vehicle can reach, store it on hard standing away from becks and drains, cover it and keep dogs and foxes off it. Farmers have a duty of care to arrange collection promptly, ideally within 24 hours of discovery, and same-day collection is available from Martlands.
Horses, smallholdings and livery yards
Chorley has a large equestrian population, with livery yards and private grazing scattered around Heapey, Whittle-le-Woods, Charnock Richard and the edges of the town. A horse that dies is fallen stock and is subject to the same ban on burial as any farm animal. Yard owners and horse owners should agree in advance who will arrange collection, so a difficult day is not made worse by confusion. The same applies to smallholders keeping a few sheep, goats or pigs on land at Brindle or Wheelton.
If a death is sudden or unexplained, speak to your vet before booking collection. Suspected notifiable disease must be reported to APHA immediately, and the carcass must not be moved until you are told it can be.
Paperwork and credentials
Every collection comes with a Commercial Document and a Waste Transfer Notice, and is booked and managed through the KoLeCt system. Martlands holds Waste Carrier Licence CB/QE5406MT, Site Licence EAWML/100236 and Animal By-Products Licence APB/CCN21/373/8002, and we are members of the National Fallen Stock Company. Tenant farmers on catchment land will find this paperwork useful when landlords or assurance schemes ask how fallen stock is dealt with.
Neighbouring areas we cover
Our coverage runs well beyond the borough boundary. To the north we provide Preston fallen stock collection, while farms south of the M61 towards Wigan are served by our Standish fallen stock collection service. Over the moors to the east, Darwen fallen stock collection covers the other side of the West Pennine Moors, and our Lancashire fallen stock collection page covers the rest of the county.
Booking Chorley fallen stock collection
To arrange a collection, call Martlands on 01704 776977 with the species, approximate age, number of animals and directions to the yard or field gate. If you would like to open an account before you need one, use our contact us page and the team will be in touch.
