NEW Euro-rules banning farmers burying dead livestock on their land have been slammed by Tory MP James Gray.

The North Wiltshire MP described the EU regulations outlawing the on-farm burial of cattle, sheep and pigs as unnecessary.

And he predicted anger over a shortage of rendering plants to dispose of the animals and over a big rise in lorries on country roads.

Under the new laws which came into force yesterday carcasses can only be disposed of by rendering, incineration or as food for hounds in hunt kennels.

The regulations have been introduced to reduce the risk of epidemics, such as foot-and-mouth disease, which crippled the country two years ago.

The Government has urged farmers to join a voluntary run disposal scheme, at a cost of up to £200 a year according to farm size.

But Mr Gray has insisted there is no evidence that burying livestock on farms harms either human or animal health.

He said: "The rules are really unnecessary. They are typical of EU interference and the government has been very slow in putting in a sensible system to sort it out.

"We are talking about very substantial numbers of animals that will have to be taken away, because 400,000 were removed by hunts alone last year.

"There are a lot of questions about whether there are enough rendering plants for all the carcasses and the number of lorries that will be driving up and down our roads."

Mr Gray said many hunt kennels across the county could be used, including one at Spye Park in Lacock, near Wootton Bassett.

Helen Browning, 41, who runs the organic Eastbrook Farm in Bishopstone, near Swindon, said: "I think farmers have been worried about this for some time. Most farmers can't afford to buy incinerators, there is not always a hunt kennel nearby and if hunting is banned altogether it will complicate things further.

"There must have been instances where on-farm burials have not been satisfactory, but if they are done properly then I personally don't see a problem."

Mr Gray added: "The Government should encourage farmers to use hunt kennels. They don't want to do that because they don't like hunting."

Mr Gray has signed a Commons motion criticising the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for caving in to the EU.