Farm animal burial rules relaxed

The Welsh Government have announced that laws preventing the burial of dead animals on farms are to be 'relaxed' for the next seven days. Farmers have been calling for the change to help them deal with the deaths of hundreds of lambs and ponies following heavy snow in north and mid Wales.

The Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales has told ITV News that farmers will be able to bury their dead animals in 'certain areas' of Wales where no other option is available.

Dr Christianne Glossop says that farmers will have to contact a 'fallen stock collector' before they can be aprroved to dispose of their own dead animals.

The law relaxations will come into force from midnight.

The Natural Resources Minister says he is also "considering how best to provide long term support to our farmers in Wales."

Alun Davies said that he is steadfast in his "support to develop an industry that is not reliant on subsidy."

Farmers in North and Mid Wales have been calling for support after one of the worst Easters on record.

Gareth Wyn Jones, who farms near Llanfairfechan in Conwy, who has lost many lambs himself says farmers will be "physically, mentally and financial worse off" but that they now need to move on.

He say that after the last fortnight of snow he can finally 'see light at the end of the tunnel' after the death of hundreds of farm animals in heavy snow.

He says some farmers have lost half of their sheep.

Opposition parties in the Assembly have claimed that the Welsh Government has been too slow to react and has not gone far enough in its response to the impact of heavy snow on livestock farming.