As carcass disposal is increasing widely in Republic of Korea, there is a need to comprehensively analyze the impacts and subsequent damages of carcass disposal. Especially, since environmental policy aims to not only reduce environmental damages, but also enhance overall sustainability, we apply the concept of environmental welfare to assess the comprehensive impact of carcass disposal, especially focusing on the rural area. In specific, assessment criteria were suggested based on the four categories related to environmental welfare, which were 'environmental quality', 'level of environmental service', 'environmental safety', and 'participation, openness to public, and communication'. The results showed negative impacts of carcass disposal in environmental, social and economical elements. Overall decrease in environmental quality negatively impacts the other elements of environmental welfare. Furthermore, there were discrepancies of level of impacts and damages among stakeholder. In the end, we suggest critical elements that need to be applied in relevant policies and regulation to promote effective carcass disposal management.

Keywords: Carcass disposal;Environmental welfare;Environmental pollution;Farm household economy;Social conflict;