A POULTRY farm in the parish of Headley, which has submitted an application to Hampshire County Council to import and dispose of pet carcasses, has the backing of the parish council.

Headley Farms Estate wants to increase the use of its existing incinerators by cremating deceased domestic pets at Broxhead Farm in Lindford. Permission is also sought retrospectively to construct an open-sided farm building in which the incinerators are located.

The site is on an existing poultry farm and chickens dying from natural mortality have been incinerated on the site for a number of years.

The farm has recently purchased two incinerators to comply with EU and Government legislation which came into force on January 1. This requires that farm incinerators should comply with the latest emission control and rate of burn legislation. The main incinerator has spare capacity and to recoup some of the costs of setting up the new incinerators, and for farm diversification this application has been submitted.

Sarette Martin, a Hampshire County Council spokesperson confirmed: "New regulations require that farms upgrade their incineration facilities and this is what the applicant has done.

"He would like to diversify by being able to cremate wild animals killed on the roads (eg foxes and deer) and by 'importing' deceased pets from local veterinary practices.

"Currently, vets have to 'export' animals quite some way in order for them to be cremated (and by using the term 'export' I don't mean overseas), so the applicant believes he would be offering a valuable local service. It would be a low-key operation.

"He is in the process of applying for a waste licence from the Environment Agency in order to be able to cremate animals 'imported' to his premises. It is classed by the Environment Agency as non-hazardous waste - animals with infectious diseases, for example, would not be disposed of on his land."

She concluded: "The incinerator itself does not require permission. What does need permission is the chimney (a little over 4 metres high), the building in which the incinerator is housed, and the 'importation' of animals."

It is understood that both DEFRA and the Environment Agency are likely to approve the applications.

The applicant has stated that there are currently only two licenced pet crematoriums in Hampshire, one of those being on the Isle of White, and that some vets in Southampton are sending deceased pets away as far as Norwich for cremation and return of ashes. Vehicle movements created by the proposal would be no more than one small van or private car with a trailer per day, six days a week and operating times would be from 7 am until 6 pm, although there could be an emergency situation where an animal has been killed on the public highway that would need to be collected outside these hours. It is considered unlikely that imported waste would exceed five tons per week.

The site lies within the parish of Headley, whose planning committee raised no objections to the application at their meeting on Monday.

Andrew Luff supported the application: "The incinerators come from America and they are specially built to meet the relevant regulations and restrictions, which are far tougher in this country than anywhere else."

Anthony Williams concluded: "In principal, I think it is a good idea, as you have got to dispose of fallen pets. If there is a need for facilities for dead domestic pets, then this makes sense."

Whitehill Town Council has objected to the application because the site is so close to the River Wey and the Broxhead Special Protection Area and also because of the potential additional traffic.

Lindford Parish Council will discuss the matter at their planning and amenities meeting on Monday.

District and county councillor, Adam Carew said: "I have not made up my mind on this issue yet as this application may come before me at district or county level. 

"Looking at the evidence currently before me, the parish council may wish to note that there are only two similar crematoria that service the whole of Hampshire, one of which is on the Isle of Wight.

"They may also wish to note that there are possible constraints of an environmental nature, including the close proximity of a specially protected area (SPA).

"This is set against the applicant's wish to diversify his business. I note there is already a crematoria for chickens on site."

He added: "This is likely to be an emotive issue. Although this is just inside a neighbouring county council division, it will be likely to affect this one. I will be very interested to read the views of local people and their elected representatives on Lindford, Headley and Whitehill councils."

It is expected that this application will be decided by a regulatory committee at Hampshire County Council.