In the Carolinas, farmers face the painful task of livestock disposal

It’s an especially painful part of the disaster recovery process for growers. In a mass mortality event like this one, poultry farmers are encouraged to compost their deceased animals. According to Mark Rice, an extension specialist in waste management at North Carolina State University, the simplest method involves shoveling wood chips over the carcasses without moving them from their houses, then waiting eight to 10 weeks for the composting process to run its course. In cases where barns are too flooded to build compost piles, the carcasses are moved to higher ground.

The USDA announced on Thursday it will incentivize farmers to compost lost livestock through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). An agency memo on emergency animal mortality management says that composting can help prevent water contamination, decrease methane and ammonia emissions, and minimize odor. Burial, by contrast, has the potential to facilitate the transmission of pathogens. In an area like eastern North Carolina, where the water table is high, burial can ultimately lead to water contamination. Mortality incinerators, according to the agency, can emit particulate matter, nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide. The agency is holding a special sign-up period for farmers in South Carolina to join EQIP.

Overton says pig carcasses are likely headed to the landfill. Rice says some might be sent to rendering plants, where they’d be converted into pet food.

During Hurricane Matthew in 2016, the Federal Emergency Management Agency provided materials to help farmers compost their carcasses, though Rice points out the response can be slow. Integrators may opt to buy their own wood chips in order to get poultry barns up and running as soon as possible.