Using up-to-date standards of care and production practices, livestock farmers work hard to avoid or decrease on-farm mortalities of their animals. Unfortunately, on-farm mortalities are an unavoidable part of livestock farming. Effective and responsible management of on-farm mortalities (also referred to as deadstock) is critical, to minimize the risk to food safety, animal health, environmental impact and disease threats posed by the disposal of deadstock.

Disposal requires planning, tools and technology. A well-developed disposal plan is especially important when dealing with catastrophic mortality, in the event of a natural disaster or epidemic which can cause a mass die-off of animals or require culling of a large number of animals in a short timeframe.