What is a Pet Cemetery or Crematorium?
How the Government views your pets.
It is an unfortunate fact that deceased pets are officially classified as Controlled Waste. Anyone handling deceased pets must be licensed by their Local Authority for the collection or disposal of waste. Both pet crematoria and pet cemeteries must be licenced by the Environment Agency or Local Authority as waste sites. The rigour of enforcement does vary between Counties but a veterinary surgeon has a legal duty of care to check the authenticity of any organisation he or she uses.
What this means for the pet owner
Most owners would not wish their pets’ bodies to be dealt along with commercial refuse. When we talk of cremation and burial we have in mind a personal and specialist process that is a long way from the incineration or landfill disposal of throw-away waste. However, due to the waste classification the waste industry may use these terms and we therefore we have waste disposal firms, abattoirs, and an ever increasing number of waste carriers offering services for pets. These are often carried out under appealing names which belie the true natures of the operations. For the pet owner this means two things:
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1. Take no notice of licencing – it is a legal requirement but not relevant to the service provided. 2. Look beyond the public face - glossy brochures and slick presentation are all very well but unless you have written assurance of their procedures look elsewhere. |
How do you judge a genuine pet crematorium or cemetery
Most pet owners would regard a service described as Cremation or Burial to encompass three main points:
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1. the dignified handling of their pets at all times 2. the actual process of cremation and burial 3. in the case of cremation, the final committal of the ashes to a particular area intended for that purpose or to be able to have the ashes returned to them. |
Whist there may be a number of different options for cremation or burial, they should all meet the above criteria. It is important not to be confused by enticing names for poor services. We have defined a set of terms to describe after-death services for pets. Click here to see them.
Who can you go to for advice?
Whilst there are many veterinary surgeons who take great care in the services they recommend there is no advice or code provided by any of the Veterinary Associations. Commercial factors may determine their position as may be the case with any individual organisation involved in pet bereavement. Currently our Association is the only one setting standards designed to protect the public.
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