FARMERS are in danger of giving renderers a licence to print money, a local leader warned this week.

Jeff Sunter, chairman of Darlington NFU, urged all farmers to urgently register their interest in Defra's proposed fallen stock collection and disposal scheme.

"If they do not, we will lose out on a great opportunity," he said. "It will leave renderers with a licence to print money if they know we are stuck with nowhere else to go.

"It will cost a hell of a lot more than this scheme will."

Defra has come up with the scheme in response to the EU Animal By-products Regulation, which came into force on May 1, making on-farm burial of animal carcasses illegal, though it has not yet been implemented here.

Under the proposed subscription scheme, smallholdings will pay £50 a year, medium sized farms £100 a year and large farms £200.

Mr Sunter's farm at Newton Aycliffe never has fewer than 300 cattle and 1,000 ewes on it and there is consequently a number of casualty stock each year.

"I had three cows taken away last year, which cost me an average of £50 each without taking into account any sheep, so the £200 I would pay each year would be well worth it," he said.

"But I am afraid that, without this scheme, prices would just go up and up."

Mr Sunter appealed to all farmers - arable as well as livestock - to return their forms to Defra as quickly as possible.

Defra will introduce the subsidised collection scheme only if at least 50pc of farmers register their support by Wednesday - last week only 30pc had responded.

Mr Sunter asked arable farmers to help the livestock sector by returning their forms before the deadline as well.