Victoria's environment watchdog is investigating a pet crematorium over allegations it's been dumping hundreds of horses in an unlicensed burial pit for more than a decade.
When the thoroughbred racehorse Anthony Van Dyck died at the 2020 Melbourne Cup, the stallion's final journey was along a desolate two-lane highway to a crematorium most have never heard of.Victoria's EPA is investigating a pet crematorium over allegations it's dumped hundreds of horses in a burial pit, without a landfill licence, for more than a decade
For a much smaller fee, the company provides a "shared burial service", whereby animals, including horses, are "laid to rest" in a mass burial pit at the edge of a paddock.The business is owned by VetPartners, a $250 million conglomerate with an American parent, and has been used for years by equine vets from the racing industry, along with other horse owners.NVC bought the crematorium from the original owner in 2017.
The last EPA licence tied to the landfill dates back to October, 2010, and lists a range of conditions, reporting and auditing requirements. Ed Annand says an assessment of risk and monitoring needs to done when burying horses to prevent disease risk "The contaminated fluid from the decomposition of tissue is known to be particularly toxic on the environment, particularly waterways," said Dr Annand.
The property is in an intensive farming precinct, surrounded by large scale chicken farms that were at the centre of an avian flu outbreak in 2020, when almost half a million diseased birds were culled. "Of the horses that undergo post-mortem examination, the remaining parts are collected by a large and reputable operator within the industry, who disposes of the parts in landfill," said the spokeswoman.
"If there are any service providers using such facilities we would expect them to ensure the facility is EPA approved and operates within all government guidelines," the statement read. "These services that we used to have, that could redeem costs through rendering and using horse meat as pet meat, are shrinking and may not ever come back to what they were before," EVA president Steve Dennis said.Dr Dennis said cremation could cost up to $2,000.He wants a standardised approach to the issue across all states.Turning animal waste to energy
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