Businesses and farms across Merseyside generating animal by-products have a legal obligation to ensure those materials are collected, transported, and processed by a licensed operator. Martlands provides fallen stock and ABP collection across the Merseyside area, holding Animal By-Products Licence No APB/CCN21/373/8002 and operating as a DEFRA approved processing and sampling facility. Whether you are a butcher in Liverpool, a food manufacturer on Merseyside, or a livestock keeper who has lost an animal, the regulatory framework around ABP disposal is the same – and the consequences of using an unlicensed contractor, or disposing of ABP material yourself without authorisation, are serious.
What the ABP Regulations Require from Merseyside Businesses
The Animal By-Products (Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2013 set out the legal framework that governs how animal by-product material must be handled from the point of generation through to final processing. This applies equally to a butchery producing bone and trim waste, a restaurant generating catering waste that contains meat, a pig or poultry farm, and a dairy farmer dealing with fallen stock. The obligation is not simply to arrange collection – it is to arrange collection through a licensed operator, ensure that the material is correctly categorised, and retain the Commercial Documents and Waste Transfer Notes that prove the material was handled lawfully. Merseyside ABP collection through Martlands means every collection is documented with both a Commercial Document and a Waste Transfer Note issued at the point of collection, providing the audit trail that DEFRA, Red Tractor, and local authority environmental health inspectors require.
The Three ABP Categories and What They Mean in Practice
Not all animal by-product material is the same, and the category assigned to a material determines how it must be stored before collection, how it is transported, and how it is processed at the facility. Getting the categorisation wrong – either by underclassifying high-risk material or by mixing categories during storage – creates compliance risk for the business generating the waste, not just the contractor collecting it.
Category 1 ABP collection covers the highest-risk materials under the ABP regulatory framework. This includes carcasses or parts of animals where specified risk material is present, material from animals suspected of carrying a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, and certain other high-risk outputs. Category 1 material must be incinerated or processed at a licensed high-risk facility. Martlands is licensed to collect and process Category 1 material, which is a level of licensing that many smaller regional contractors do not hold.
Category 2 ABP collection applies to material that carries a significant disease risk but does not meet the Category 1 threshold. Fallen livestock that has not been slaughtered for human consumption typically falls into Category 2, as does manure and certain other farm-generated materials. Category 2 material can be processed by pressure sterilisation followed by specific downstream uses, or by incineration, depending on the processing facility and the specific material type. For farmers across Merseyside dealing with fallen stock, Category 2 is the most common classification they will encounter for routine livestock losses.
Category 3 ABP collection covers lower-risk materials – food-grade animal parts that are fit for human consumption but not intended for it, catering waste from premises handling meat, and certain other outputs from food businesses. For butchers, food manufacturers, and catering operations in Liverpool and across Merseyside, Category 3 is the classification that will apply to the majority of their regular waste output. Category 3 material can be processed into a wider range of downstream products, including pet food ingredients and technical products, which is why correct classification matters not just for compliance but for appropriate processing outcomes.
Merseyside Businesses That Generate ABP Material
The range of businesses in Merseyside that generate animal by-product material and are subject to ABP regulations is wider than many operators initially realise. Independent butchers and multiple retail butchery counters generate Category 3 trim, bone, and blood waste with every trading day. Abattoirs and slaughterhouses generate material across all three categories depending on the slaughter line and the species being processed. Food manufacturers incorporating meat, fish, or dairy ingredients generate processing waste that must be categorised and collected correctly. Restaurants, hotels, and catering operations generate Category 3 catering waste if they handle meat on site. Farms and smallholdings across the Merseyside area dealing with livestock losses face Category 2 fallen stock obligations within 24 hours of discovering a dead animal. Martlands provides food waste and ABP collection across all of these business types, with the appropriate vehicle, documentation, and processing pathway for each category.
Documentation – What You Need to Retain and Why
The documentation generated at the point of collection is not simply a receipt for services rendered. The Commercial Document that accompanies every ABP collection is a legally required record under the ABP regulations, specifying the category of material, the quantity, the collection point, and the destination facility. The Waste Transfer Note fulfils a parallel function under waste carrier legislation, with Martlands holding Waste Carrier Licence CB/QE5406MT. Both documents must be retained by the business generating the waste for the periods specified under the relevant regulations, and both will be requested during a DEFRA audit, a Red Tractor farm assurance inspection, or a local authority environmental health visit.
For food businesses operating under ISO 14001 certification or preparing sustainability reports for clients or investors, the Waste Transfer Notes issued by Martlands on every collection also provide the verifiable documentary evidence required to demonstrate compliant waste management. The how to stay compliant with UK ABP regulations guide on the Martlands website covers the documentation requirements in detail and is a practical reference for businesses preparing for inspection.
Fallen Stock on Merseyside Farms – the 24-Hour Obligation
For livestock keepers across the Merseyside area, the 24-hour collection requirement under the Animal By-Products (Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2013 is a firm legal deadline, not guidance. When an animal dies on farm, the keeper has a duty of care to ensure it is collected by a licensed contractor within 24 hours of discovery. On-farm burial and burning of livestock has been illegal in the UK since 2003 and remains so, with only very narrow exceptions for genuinely remote locations that do not apply to Merseyside farming operations. Martlands offers same-day collection for fallen stock across the Merseyside service area, with the KoLeCt system used to log, track, and document every booking so that the collection record is available to the farmer as part of their compliance audit trail. The guide to disposing of fallen stock provides further detail on the legal requirements and practical steps involved.
Arranging ABP Collection in Merseyside
Martlands is a family-run business based in Coppull, Lancashire, and a member of NFSCO, the National Fallen Stock Company. The full ABP licence portfolio, the DEFRA approved processing and sampling facility status, and the Site Licence EAWML/100236 mean that Merseyside businesses and farms can arrange collection through a single licensed contractor for all three ABP categories, rather than managing separate contractors for different waste streams. To arrange a collection, discuss your regular waste volumes, or get advice on how your material should be categorised, call 01704 776977. Further information is available through the contact us page.
