Posted online: Jan 25th, 2010

The Forestry Service has been accused of double standards after killing a goat and leaving it to rot in the open.

East Derry assemblyman Billy Leonard hit out after the white goat was slaughtered at Gortnamoyagh Forest, near Garvagh, last week.

The Sinn Féin man says the animal’s body should have been disposed of properly.

He said: “This problem has been brought to my attention before but on Tuesday past a constituent was absolutely certain that Forest Service staff were responsible for killing and then leaving a goat in Gortnamoyagh Forest in East Derry.

“They feel that the strict standards should be applied to everyone as the same environmental and health issues apply. As the constituent pointed out to me, if the animal was killed a number of yards away on private land it would have to be dealt with differently. I hope that the Forest Service look into this matter and correct matters so that the same standards are applied across the board.”

A spokesman for Department of Agriculture and Regional Development Forest Service said: “Most carcasses of culled wild animals are removed by Forest Service from woodlands for disposal, although this is not a requirement where the risk to people or the environment is minimal. This approach is consistent with the animal by-products Regulation 1774/2002 where ‘wild’ animals are defined as any animal not kept by humans. DARD clarifies ‘wild’ as being animals that are not fed, provided with veterinary treatment, or fenced in by humans.

“Wild animals are not in the scope of the regulations and are therefore not subject to disposal rules. It is these rules that require farmed animals to be rendered or incinerated.”