Hunting offal and waste management

Hunting offal may be buried in the ground throughout Finland with the landowner's permission. However, the instructions of the Finnish Food Authority must be followed: offal must be buried to a depth of at least 1 meter and covered immediately so that foxes, rats or other animals cannot access it. Offal must not be buried closer than 150 meters from a permanent residential building, nor closer than 250 meters from a well or on a slope leading to a watercourse. It is not permitted to bury it in groundwater areas or in the protected area of ​​a water intake.

When choosing a burial site, it is also important to consider that the area will not be plowed or dug soon after the burial.

By acting correctly, you can avoid the transmission of potential animal diseases to animals. For example, the lungs and liver of a deer can contain the echinococcal parasite. If a dog or wild animal gets access to slaughterhouse waste, the disease can spread to animals and humans. Echinococcus is a parasite belonging to the tapeworm family.

More information can be found in the Finnish Food Authority's instructions. https://www.ruokavirasto.fi/globalassets/elintarvikkeet/elintarvikeala/ohjeet-ja-lainsaadanto/riistaohje_2023.pdf and from the Finnish Food Authority's website https://www.ruokavirasto.fi/elaimet/elaimista-saatavat-sivutuotteet-ja-kuolleet-elaimet/kuolleet-elaimet/hautaaminen/.

More about Echinococcosis on the website of the Finnish Food Authority: https://www.ruokavirasto.fi/laboratoriopalvelut/ajankohtaista-laboratoriopalveluista/ekinokokkiloinen-voi-tarttua-metsastyskoirasta-ihmiseen/

Waste management

Sparrow hunting is an activity in which food is taken out into the field to attract wild animals for hunting or photography purposes. The purpose of the sparrow hunting can also be solely to feed endangered animals, such as birds of prey.

Allowed waste material is listed on the Finnish Food Authority's website. Read more about what can be taken to the waste disposal site: https://www.ruokavirasto.fi/elaimet/elaimista-saatavat-sivutuotteet-ja-kuolleet-elaimet/kuolleet-elaimet/haaskakaytto/. The material used must not cause any health hazard, environmental pollution or the risk of spreading animal diseases. Household food waste is not a permitted material. Fallen deer, by-products from deer hunting, other wild animal carcasses and wild fish caught for private use are permitted, as long as they are not suspected of having diseases that can be transmitted to animals or humans.

Records must be kept of the material taken to Haaska and the information must be provided to the municipal veterinarian every 3 months.

Responsibility for by-products that end up as waste and their quality lies with the producer and user of the by-product.

Before starting waste management activities, the operator must register in the waste site register.

Notification of the commencement or cessation of operations or updating previously notified information can be made using the form published by the Finnish Food Authority. electronic transaction application for the animal keeper, holding and waste disposal register through or by submitting completed registration/change notification form To the municipal veterinarian of the municipality where the waste feeding site is located. There is a fee for submitting the notification to the municipal veterinarian.

A permit must be obtained from the landowner for waste disposal. Waste disposal must also not be placed near a settlement. Waste disposal must not cause pollution of the soil or water bodies, so when choosing a waste disposal site, the location of groundwater areas, lakes, rivers and other water bodies must be investigated and taken into account. The municipal environmental protection authority can be contacted for assistance in this. If the intention is to build a viewing booth on the site, the municipal building control authority must be contacted. The waste disposal site must be kept clean and the operator must remove old waste material from the site.

If there are any doubts about the appropriateness of the operation of the waste disposal site, the matter must be reported to the supervising veterinarian.