Bringing your farm pet's ashes home in Ghent
Your goat, sheep or pig is family, but the law usually files it under livestock. Here's what that means locally, who will take an animal this size and what it costs to bring the ashes home.
- Providers that accept goats, pigs and alpacas
- Livestock burial rules explained simply
- Private cremation with ashes returned
Ghent, Flanders
Where farm species go after a death near Ghent
In Belgium, farm livestock is handled through the regulated collection system for dead animals, while a horse, pony, donkey or pet goat can go to a specialist provider for a single cremation with the ashes returned. East Flanders winters leave clay pastures soft for weeks. Tell the provider whether your animal was a family companion or farm stock, and ask for one written price covering pickup, cremation and the urn.
Ghent is surrounded by the flat farmland of East Flanders, with dairy farms, horse pastures and hobby farms in the Meetjesland and along the Leie and Scheldt valleys. Flanders has a long tradition of heavy draught horses as well as a large riding and sport horse community. If a horse or farm animal dies, describe farm access and ground conditions, since wet clay pastures can be hard to reach.
If nobody in Ghent takes your species at its weight, look to a larger centre such as Antwerp or to providers serving Antwerp. Equine crematories often take donkeys, llamas and big pigs, and some charge by the pound, which can work out fairly for a mid-size animal. Ask whether they'll meet you halfway or share a collection run with another owner in your area.
About 262,000 people live in Ghent, which makes it the 2nd-largest of the 2 Flanders communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Antwerp, about 32 miles (51 km) away, which is where some providers serving Ghent are based.
Nearby, we also have local pages for Brussels (31 miles, a larger centre) and Antwerp (32 miles), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
67.98%[1]
In 2023, 67.98% of deaths in Belgium were cremated (21 crematoria).
$600-$1,000[2]
Cremating a 1,000-pound horse was reported to cost about $600-$1,000, depending on location and the price of propane.
3-5% of body weight[3]
Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight.
Sources for the statistics above: Embrace Pet Insurance and Extension Horses (eXtension national Cooperative Extension).
How Belgium thinks about cremation
Cremation is now the majority choice for people in Belgium, at about 67.98%[1], but burial still has deep roots, especially in farming country. You'll find both traditions among smallholders. Neither is more proper than the other for a goat or sheep; what matters is what the rules allow for that species on your land and what feels right to you.
We take the Belgium rate from Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023). It is a human statistic; there is no equivalent pet figure for Ghent, and we would rather show a real number than invent one.
Weather, bloat and frozen ground in Ghent
Without local weather figures for Ghent, trust your own sense of the day. If you're comfortable in a T-shirt, treat it as warm and move quickly; if the troughs are icing over, you have more time but harder access. Farm animals don't die to a forecast, so plan for the week you're in and the one ahead.
What farm animal cremation costs in Ghent
By our estimate, individual cremation across the markets we track costs about double the shared option[4], and for a heavy animal the gap in euros grows. Around Ghent, check whether VAT is included and whether collection from a rural address is priced per kilometre. A written quote naming the species avoids surprises at the door.
For a line-by-line price table, see the Flanders overview; for what's included in each option, see our services.
Free tool
Cremation cost calculator
Estimate a realistic price range for your pet's size, location and the type of cremation.
Livestock law and pet rules in Flanders
If you rent your land or keep animals on someone else's property, the landowner's say matters as much as the law. Many tenancies and grazing agreements forbid burial, and a landlord may not want a compost pile either. Cremation needs nobody's permission. Here's the general picture for pets in Flanders; your lease may add conditions of its own.
If your animal dies today: a plan for Ghent
- Tell your child soon, in plain words. "Your goat died this morning" is kinder than a softer phrase that leaves a young child waiting for the animal to come back.
- Let them choose whether to see the body. Covered with a blanket, with only the head showing, is usually gentle enough for school-age children.
- Give them a job: brushing the coat one last time, choosing the halter to keep, or picking flowers to leave at the gate.
- Time the collection around them. Some children want to wave the crew off; others are better at school or a friend's house while the animal leaves. Ask the crew for an unhurried pickup.
- If the animal was a club or show project, tell the leader. They have helped other young members through this and may suggest a small tribute at the next meeting.
- Plan something for when the ashes come home: planting a tree, scattering them beside the fence line, or a little urn for their bedroom shelf.
A lasting place for your animal near Ghent
Belgium is small, so horse owners around Ghent can realistically compare providers across Flanders and toward Antwerp or Brussels. If your horse or pony is in its final years, gather quotes while there is no pressure, ask whether they can reach a field after heavy rain, and decide whether you want the ashes back. Having that settled makes a hard day a little more manageable.
use the free tools before you ring anyone, or compare your instinct with the poll results, For a plain comparison of the choices, open services, browse in-depth guides or recent articles. If you live between Ghent and Antwerp, either page applies. Every other community in Flanders, and all of Belgium, is listed too.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
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What was (or would be) hardest about the practical side?
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Free tools to help you plan
Cremation cost calculator
Estimate a realistic price range for your pet's size, location and the type of cremation.
Livestock mortality planner
Plan disposal capacity and costs for farm losses, from one animal to a herd.
Urn size calculator
Find the urn volume you need from your pet's weight, plus keepsake and sharing options.
Questions people ask
Which nearby towns can I compare with Ghent?
The closest communities we cover are Brussels (about 31 miles) and Antwerp (about 32 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Ghent too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Is cremation common in Belgium?
For people, yes: about 67.98%[1] of Belgium deaths end in cremation, according to Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Ghent follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Will I have to travel to Antwerp to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Antwerp (roughly 32 miles from Ghent) collect from here as a matter of routine, and the paperwork is done by email or phone. If you want to be present for a witnessed cremation, that is when the drive matters.
Can my goat or sheep be cremated with its halter or blanket?
Many providers allow a natural-fiber halter, a cotton blanket or a handful of hay to go with the animal, but metal buckles, bells and plastic ear tags are usually removed first. If you'd like to keep the halter or bell, say so; it's one of the most common keepsakes. Check what the provider allows before the day so nothing precious goes by mistake.
Can I bring my goat or pig to the crematory myself?
Usually yes, and it often saves the whole collection fee. Call ahead to agree a time, confirm they accept the weight and ask how they unload. A pickup or small trailer with a ramp works well; lay the animal on a tarp so it can be slid rather than lifted. Bring a helper, and don't try to lift a heavy animal alone.
How long until I get my farm animal's ashes back?
Many families get the ashes within one to two weeks. A large animal can take longer, because the cremation itself runs for hours and the provider may batch large-animal days. If the crematory is in a larger centre away from Ghent, add time for the return trip, or arrange to collect the ashes yourself.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] In 2023, 67.98% of deaths in Belgium were cremated (21 crematoria). Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023, 2023.
- [2] Cremating a 1,000-pound horse was reported to cost about $600-$1,000, depending on location and the price of propane. Extension Horses (eXtension national Cooperative Extension) - Horse Disposal Options, 2019, 2019.
- [3] Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight. Embrace Pet Insurance - Bury or Cremate Your Dog? Costs, Pros & Cons, 2025.
- [4] The median price multiple of private (ashes returned) over communal cremation across 8 markets is about 2.0x, ranging from 1.25x (Tokyo) to 5.2x (Auckland). Our estimate: median(private_price / communal_price) same weight band: US CareCredit 51-70 lb midpoints (250/75) = 3.33x; Auckland 15-25 kg (445/85) = 5.24x; Norway 1-20 kg (3790/1190) = 3.18x; Singapore 10-20 kg (480/260) = 1.85x; Ontario 25-250 lb (549/279) = 1.97x; Tokyo 20-30 kg (38500/30800) = 1.25x; France 20 kg midpoints (200/95) = 2.11x; Germany range midpoints (270/145) = 1.86x. How we calculate.
- [5] Composting a 1,400 lb dairy cow would need roughly 14-16.8 cubic yards of cover material. Our estimate: 1.4 x (10 to 12 cu yd per 1,000 lb). How we calculate.
Find who takes farm species near you
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