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Rendering should only be considered when all alternative
options have been ruled out. Due to the high density of livestock in certain
areas of Europe, and their close proximity to areas of high population
density, burial and cremation are becoming increasingly less likely to
be allowed and rendering will be the only option available. Experience
with swine fever in the Benelux countries during the 1990s has shown that
there is insufficient rendering capacity to meet the demand resulting
from a major epidemic of an OIE List A disease. National Authorities must
take account of the national rendering capacity when drawing up their
FMD contingency plans and, if necessary, come to arrangements with neighbouring
countries to use spare rendering capacity.
Rendering plants do not in themselves represent any particular risk of
transmission of disease, but adequate cleaning and disinfection of the
premises and of vehicles must be ensured to prevent onward transmission
of infection to premises where livestock is kept. Ideally, rendering plants
used for destruction of FMD-infected animals should be situated within
the controlled areas. In practice, due to the small number of rendering
plants in any country, this is unlikely to be the case. Extreme care must
therefore be taken in transport of animals from IPs to the rendering plants
with consideration being given to increasing the size of the infected
area, if practical.
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