Various Methods of Disposal of Unsound Meat and Carcass are as follows:

• Rendering

Rendering is a process that converts waste animal tissue into stable, usable materials. This material can include the fatty tissue, bones and offal, as well as the entire carcasses of animals condemned at slaughterhouses, and those that have died on farms, in transit, etc. It is a safe, rapid, and economical method of disposal of carcass. Renderers are required to use equipment and methods that prevent health hazards. Local regulations specify requirements for transportation of carcasses to rendering plants. During transportation, biosecurity must be considered to avoid spreading infectious agents into the environment.

• Burial

If an acceptable site is available, burial is usually the preferred method of disposal. The selection of a burial site is done keeping the following facts in mind – Consider the adequacy of soil depth Avoid underground electrical cables, water pipes, gas pipes, septic tanks, and water wells. The prevention of secondary toxicosis or exposure to infectious agents to scavengers or groundwater must be taken into consideration. The burial pit or trench should be at least 2.3m wide and 3m deep (7 × 9 ft). In this area with 1.3 m2 (15 ft2) of floor space, accommodation of one mature bovine or equine carcass, five mature pigs or sheep, 100 mature chickens, or 40 mature turkeys can be made. For each additional meter (3 ft) in depth, the number of animals per 1.3 m2 of floor space may be doubled. Contaminated litter, soil, manure, feed, milk, or other material should be placed in the pit with the carcasses and covered with at least 2m (6ft) of soil. The covering soil should not be compacted. Decomposition and gas formation cause cracking, bubbling, and leaking of fluids from a compacted burial site. The soil should be mounded and neatly graded. The burial site must be inspected regularly after closure to detect seepage or other problems that may arise.

• Burning

Burning in an incinerator is an excellent means to dispose of one or a few carcasses and is the preferred means for sheep with scrapie and cattle with BSE. Burning poultry carcasses should be considered only when burial is not feasible. The burn site should be away from public view and on flat, open ground that is clear of buildings, hay or straw stacks, overhead cables, and shallow underground pipes or cables. Locations upwind from houses, farm buildings, roads, or populated areas, and those from which precipitation runoff may contaminate the environment, should be avoided. Carcass must be placed on a quantity of combustible supporting materials sufficient to reduce them completely to ashes. Under favorable conditions, burning should be complete within 48 hr. To prepare the fire bed, an area of ground should be staked out to accommodate the number of carcasses to be burned: 8 × 3 ft for each mature cow or horse, 5 mature pigs or sheep, 100 mature chickens, or 40 mature turkeys. Additional combustible material should be added as per necessity. When the fire has died out, the ashes should be buried properly.

• Composting

This method involves the above ground decomposition of animal carcass over a period of time. Composting may be done when soil conditions do not facilitate adequate burial procedures. The process can be complex and requires an appropriate site, proper management and the proper supplies (e.g., wood chips, sawdust and biosolids). The composting process and the natural decomposition of the animal serve to reduce the disease agents present.

• Landfill

The use of landfills for carcass and material disposal may be an option. The necessary equipment, personnel, procedures and containment systems are already in place and may be useful. However, the transport of carcasses to these locations may pose some risk of disease spread.

• Alkaline Hydrolysis

 This process uses sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide under heat and pressure to digest carcass tissue. The resulting effluent typically has a pH level of 11.4 to 11.7, and in most cases, can be discharged into municipal sewage systems. The process does require specialized, expensive equipment therefore this method has limited application in a disease outbreak situation.