Kirkby Stephen fallen stock collection has to work around the realities of farming at the head of the Eden valley. Hill ground, long farm tracks, fell gates and roads that can close in a single winter night all shape how a dead ewe or suckler cow gets from the farm to a licensed plant. Martlands is a family-run, DEFRA approved collector based in Burscough, Lancashire, and as an NFSCO member we provide fallen stock and ABP collection to farms across Cumbria and nationally.
This page is for farmers around Kirkby Stephen, Brough, Ravenstonedale, Mallerstang, Nateby and the surrounding Upper Eden parishes. It covers what the law expects, how collection works on hill farms, and how to plan for the months when the weather is the biggest obstacle.
Kirkby Stephen fallen stock collection for Upper Eden hill and suckler farms
Farming around Kirkby Stephen is dominated by hill and upland sheep, often Swaledales and Rough Fells on the higher ground of the Howgills, Wild Boar Fell and the Pennine edge, with suckler cows and store cattle on the lower in-bye land along the valley. That mix means a farm can need anything from a single lamb to an adult cow collected, sometimes in the same week. Our farm and fallen stock collection service handles all of them. The official guidance on fallen stock and safe disposal of dead animals sets out the legal duties in full.
What the law requires when an animal dies
On-farm burial and burning of fallen stock has been banned since 2003, with only very limited derogations for genuinely remote areas. For almost every farm in the Upper Eden, that means a dead animal must go to an approved collector or plant. Farmers have a duty of care to arrange collection promptly, ideally within 24 hours of discovery.
Cattle carry extra duties. Deaths must be reported to BCMS within seven days and the passport returned. Fallen cattle over 48 months must be BSE tested, and as a DEFRA approved sampling facility Martlands can arrange that as part of collection. If you suspect a notifiable disease, report it to APHA immediately and do not move the carcase until you are told it is safe to do so.
Swaledales, Rough Fells and lambing losses
Hill flocks in Mallerstang, around Ravenstonedale and on the fells above Nateby and Hartley tend to lamb later than lowland flocks, often outdoors, and losses come in clusters during cold, wet spells. A late spring storm can leave a farm with more dead lambs in two days than in the rest of the season. The government also publishes detailed guidance on animal by-product categories and disposal.
Category matters here. Lambs and younger sheep are generally Category 2 and are collected under our Category 2 ABP collection. Ewes and tups over 12 months, or with a permanent incisor erupted, are Category 1 because they contain specified risk material, and go under our Category 1 ABP collection. Keeping older sheep apart from lambs in your holding area avoids the whole lot being treated as Category 1, and makes the Commercial Document accurate.
Suckler cows and store cattle in the valley
On the in-bye and valley farms between Kirkby Stephen, Soulby, Winton and Brough, suckler herds and store cattle bring their own pattern. Calving losses, older cows that go down and casualty animals all need collecting, and adult cattle are heavy, awkward to move and need proper access for a collection vehicle.
The most useful thing you can do is think about where a cow would be collected from before you need it. A hardstanding near the yard entrance, reachable without crossing soft ground, saves time and avoids getting a vehicle stuck. Have the passport and ear tag details ready so BCMS reporting and BSE testing, where needed, go smoothly.
The auction mart calendar and busy months
Kirkby Stephen auction mart sits at the centre of the local farming year, with autumn sales of store lambs and breeding sheep, including draft ewes and tups, drawing buyers from across the north. Those weeks are busy on farms too. Sheep are gathered, sorted, moved and housed, and stress, transport and changes of feed can all add to losses.
Plan for it. If you are gathering hefted flocks off the fell or bringing stock down for a sale, a quick call to arrange collection of any losses keeps carcases off the yard during the period when you have least time to deal with them. The same applies to the winter housing period, when pneumonia and other problems can rise in housed cattle and sheep.
Winter weather, Stainmore and remote access
Everyone in the Upper Eden knows how quickly the A66 over Stainmore can close in snow or high winds, and how the A685 through Brough, Kirkby Stephen and Ravenstonedale to Tebay can be difficult in a hard winter. The B6259 through Mallerstang and the minor roads up to fell-side farms can be worse.
When roads are closed, the legal duty does not disappear, but the practical answer changes. Store carcases safely, covered and away from watercourses, livestock, dogs and wildlife, and keep a note of when the animal was found and when you called. Ring as early as possible so a collection can be planned as soon as access allows. For more on this, read our guide to fallen stock collection for upland and remote farms.
Kirkby Stephen fallen stock collection across the wider Eden valley and Westmorland
Kirkby Stephen sits within a wider network of farms we serve. To the north, our Appleby fallen stock collection covers the middle Eden valley and the North Pennine fells. To the south-west, our Kirkby Lonsdale fallen stock collection serves the Lune valley. Both sit within our Westmorland fallen stock collection and wider Cumbria fallen stock collection coverage.
Every collection comes with a Commercial Document and Waste Transfer Note, and bookings are managed through the KoLeCt system, which gives you a clear record for farm assurance inspections. Martlands holds Waste Carrier Licence CB/QE5406MT and Animal By-Products Licence APB/CCN21/373/8002.
For Kirkby Stephen fallen stock collection, including same-day availability, call Martlands on 01704 776977.
