SHERMAN, Maine — A cow carcass that sparked a state agency investigation this week has been moved and covered to the satisfaction of officials and neighbors alike.
Sherman beef farmer Paul Murray moved the cow carcass farther away from the property line he shares with Vicki and Warren Wilson and covered the body with compost material, according to Matthew Randall, agriculture compliance supervisor with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
Last week, Vicki Wilson complained on her Facebook page about the cow parts and two heads — one hung in a tree — and voiced concerns about their proximity to her property line. The state agriculture department learned about the issue through the social media website and decided to investigate.
On Tuesday, an agent with Randall’s office visited both the Murray and Wilson farms. Randall said his agent outlined for Murray the two accepted methods of approved large animal disposal.
“Mr. Murray was made aware of the options and chose to compost the cow while my staff member was on site,” Randall said. “Because of [Murray’s] quick actions, there is no need for any further action.”
At the same time, Randall said, the agent found that all animals on both the Murray and Wilson farms were well cared for.
According to Chapter 211 of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s statutes dealing with disposal of animal carcasses, there are two approved ways to deal with dead animals, Randall said.
They can either be buried entirely or covered with compost material.
An exemption to those rules, he said, is when the dead animal or parts are used for coyote bait, which then falls under the purview of Maine’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department.
A legal bait pile, according to Warden Jim Fahey, must be clearly labeled with the hunter’s name regardless of whether it is on the hunter’s property.
The two cow heads on the Murray property were allowed to remain, Randall said, as there is no law against placing heads in the open to allow birds and other carrion-eaters to “clean” them in preparation for display or decoration.
The only issue, Randall said, is if those heads attract scavengers that then create a nuisance situation for someone else.
Murray did, however, move the heads farther away from the property line.
This week both Murray and Wilson said they are ready to put the whole dispute behind them.
“I am very happy with the outcome,” Murray said. “My family and I have moved on.”
Wilson agreed.
“Everything got fixed [when] he moved the pile and the heads are moved to the middle of his field,” she said. “So pretty much everything we wanted done has been taken care of [and] as far as I am concerned it is done.”
