Mixed livestock farms often produce several categories of animal by-product in the same week. A farm running cattle, sheep and pigs together, perhaps alongside some on-farm processing, can find itself dealing with more than one category of animal by-product at the same time, and keeping the categories straight is the key to staying compliant. Martlands handles every category under one arrangement as part of our fallen stock and ABP collection service, working from our family-run, DEFRA approved base in Burscough, Lancashire. For a mixed enterprise, having a single collector licensed for all three categories removes a lot of complexity.
Why Mixed Farms Face Category Complexity
The ABP framework sorts material into three categories by risk, and a mixed farm can generate material across the range depending on what happens to a given animal. A fallen animal that died on farm, an animal euthanised by injection, and trimmings from an animal that entered the food chain through on-farm processing can all arise on the same holding, yet they sit in different categories with different rules. Treating everything as one undifferentiated heap is exactly the mistake that leads to non-compliance, because the storage, documentation and disposal route differ by category. Our blog on the guide to ABP categories sets out how the three tiers are defined.
The Risk of Cross-Contamination
One practical danger on a mixed farm is mixing categories in storage, which can effectively drag lower-risk material up into a higher category and complicate disposal. Keeping streams separated from the point they arise, in clearly designated containers, preserves the correct classification and keeps your options open. It also keeps your documentation clean, because each collection can then be recorded accurately against the right category.
Knowing Which Category Applies
The single most useful skill on a mixed holding is being able to place a given by-product in the right category. The cause of death, whether the animal entered the food chain, and how it was killed all bear on the answer. When you tell us what you have and how it arose, we route it correctly, but understanding the basics yourself makes day-to-day management smoother. Our Category 2 ABP collection service handles the middle tier that often catches mixed farms out, covering material such as animals that died other than by slaughter for human consumption.
One Collector for the Whole Holding
The simplest way to manage category complexity is to use a single collector licensed across all three categories, so that whatever arises on the farm has a compliant route without you having to juggle multiple contractors. Martlands holds all three category licences, and our farm and fallen stock collection service brings the whole requirement under one dependable arrangement.
Coverage in Mixed Farming Country
The Midlands and the counties on our southern and eastern reach carry exactly the kind of mixed farming where category management matters, and our service extends well beyond the North West. Farmers can read about our Staffordshire fallen stock collection coverage, serving the varied livestock holdings of that county.
Labelling and Container Discipline
The practical mechanism that keeps categories separate on a mixed farm is simple container discipline. Clearly designated and marked containers for different streams, and a brief on which goes where for anyone who handles fallen stock, prevents the accidental mixing that drags lower-risk material up the scale. It costs little to set up and quickly becomes second nature, and it means that when we collect, each stream is already correctly separated and can be documented accurately against its category. Good labelling at the point material arises is far easier than trying to unpick a mixed container later.
Simplifying Your Compliance
A mixed farm does not need to find category management daunting when one licensed collector can handle every stream and keep the paperwork straight. To set up an all-category arrangement that fits a diverse holding, call Martlands on 01704 776977 and we will make multi-category compliance simple.
Further Guidance on Mixed Livestock Farms
For the official rules, read the GOV.UK guidance on fallen stock and the safe disposal of dead animals. If you have questions about mixed livestock farms, call Martlands on 01704 776977 and our team will help.
