Applying for approval of a plant or establishment for animal by-products

All residues from animals that are not suitable or intended for human consumption are animal by-products.

If you as a company handle animal by-products, you must recycle and safely dispose of them in such a way that they do not endanger human or animal health or the environment.

Animal by-products are divided into 3 risk categories according to the degree of danger they pose to humans and animals.

• Category 1 - High-risk material, for example:
  • Carcasses or parts of carcasses of animals suspected or affected by Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE),
  • animals that have been killed as part of TSE eradication measures, and
  • pets, zoo and circus animals
• Category 2 - medium risk material, for example:
  • Animals that died by means other than slaughter or killing for human consumption, including animals killed for disease control purposes,
  • fetuses, ova, embryos and semen not intended for breeding purposes and poultry dead in the egg shell (chicks)
  • animal by-products containing residues of authorized substances or contaminants that exceed the limit values
• Category 3 - low-risk material, for example:
  • Carcass parts and parts of animals slaughtered for human consumption when they have not been used for human consumption for economic reasons
  • Materials from aquatic animals, molluscs and crustaceans
  • Parts of live animals, such as
    • blood,
    • wool,
    • feathers,
    • hair and
    • raw milk

If you want to process animal by-products, you generally have to apply for a permit. This applies in particular to the following activities:

• Processing of animal by-products by
  • pressure sterilization,
  • by processing methods or
  • approved alternative methods
• disposal as waste by incineration of animal by-products and derived products, except in relation to plants or establishments holding an operating license
• Disposal or recovery of animal by-products and derived products, if they are waste, by co-incineration, except in relation to plants or establishments holding an operating license
• Use of animal by-products and derived products as fuel
• Production of pet food
• Production of organic fertilizers and soil improvers
• Conversion of animal by-products and/or derived products into biogas or compost in biogas plants and composting plants
• Treatment of animal by-products after collection, in the form of activities such as
  • sorting,
  • cutting,
  • cooling,
  • freezing,
  • salting,
  • removal of hides and skins or specified risk material
• Storage of animal by-products
• Storage of derived products