Carcass disposal: lessons from The Netherlands after the foot and mouth disease outbreak of 2001.

The main logistical problems of the foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak that occurred in the Netherlands in 2001 were a lack of culling and rendering capacity. Suppressive vaccination formed the basis for the solution to both problems and was primarily used to halt the possible spread of the virus. This allowed culls to take place on vaccinated farms when sufficient culling capacity eventually became available. In addition, the vaccinated cloven-hoofed animals could be removed alive and then killed in central culling places fourteen or more days after vaccination. Using slaughterhouses as central culling places meant that parts of carcasses could be deep-frozen, which solved the lack of rendering capacity. The deep-frozen carcass parts were destroyed later, when rendering capacity became available. To guarantee that all vaccinated, culled and temporarily deep-frozen cloven-hoofed animals were eventually destroyed, a balanced audit trail, partly based on kilogram records, was vital in this situation.