"Animal by-products" are whole carcasses or parts of carcasses or products of animal origin, designated in accordance with the legislation as animal-by products of Categories 1, 2 or 3, not intended for human consumption, including ova, embryos and semen.
"Animal by-products” are whole bodies or parts of animals or products of animal origin not intended for human consumption. These include: animal carcasses or parts thereof – including fish, intestines, manure of farmed animals, such as pigs, cattle and chicken, ovaries, embryos not intended for reproduction, blood, hides and skins, hoofs and horns, shells and crustaceans’ waste, feathers, wool hair and fur, as well as food waste of animal of fish origin no longer intended for human consumption – including eggs, milk and cooking oil used for the preparation of animal products.
The meat, fish and other animal materials become animal by-products when the material is no longer intended for human consumption.
The Food and Veterinary Agency, as the authority responsible for by-product issues, is committed to providing sustainable improvements in that direction. A law on animal by-products was prepared in 2007, which was amended three times in 2014, 2015 and 2016. In addition, secondary legislation has been adopted that regulates this issue
The law regulates: the categorization, collection, transportation, disposal, processing, use and storage of animal by-products in terms of animal health protection and veterinary public health.
The objectives of this law are:;
а) to prevent the collection, transport, storage, handling, processing and use or disposal of animal by-products posing a health risk to animal or public health, and
б) allowing the placing on the market and in certain specific cases export, import and transit of animal by-products and certain products obtained therefrom.
A new Law on Animal By-Products is under preparation. The need for a new law stems from the need for harmonization of national legislation with the European Union requirements.
The Law on Animal By-Products introduced the categorization of animal by-products, depending on the degree of risk to public health and animal health, in three categories. This requires operators to properly categorize, collect, label and store separate animal by-products from different categories.
Animal by-products, products derived therefrom and products containing parts thereof, depending on the degree of risk to public health or animal health are categorized into:
а) Category 1 materials;
б) Category 2 materials;
в) Category 3 materials.
Categorization of animal by-products could be performed according to the "law" and by "choice" of the entity.
The categorization by law is prescribed in the regulations in the field of animal by-products and is mandatory for entities.
The categorization by choice of the entity is performed depending on the economic needs of the entity and the tradition of the market and depends on the choice of the entity. When applying this option, one should always keep in mind the rule that once a product has become an animal by-product it cannot enter the food chain.
In this legal framework, animal by-products designated as specific risk material in terms of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are specifically identified and defined.
COLLECTION, TRANSPORT, STORAGE AND DISPOSAL
According to the Law on Animal by-products, the collection, transport and storage of animal by-products should be carried out under appropriate conditions, which guarantee that there are no risks to public health and animal health.
More rules have been adopted regarding collection, transport and storage, infrastructure, equipment and hygiene requirements including records ensuring that animal by-products and their derivatives are followed in order to avoid current or potential risks, marketing conditions market, import, transit and export conditions, safe source terms, safe treatment and safe end user.
The regulations for the collection and transportation of animal by-products of animal origin prescribe conditions in respect of packaging, transport vessels, declaration of materials, registration of transporters, the form, content and manner of keeping records, hygiene, etc.
The storage regulations regulate construction - technical conditions, sanitary conditions, special requirements regarding facilities and technical equipment, method of operation, required documentation.
Non-harmful disposal
Non-harmful disposal of animal by-products is the responsibility of the operator to protect the environment and preserve human and animal health. Such products should be sent to authorized facilities for their processing or final disposal. Different categories of materials have to be processed in different approved establishments.
Category 1 materials can be removed by:
- Burning / incineration;
- Burying in authorized landfills or burning / incineration with pre-treatment;
- Kitchen waste from international transport, buried in authorized landfills.
Category 2 materials can be removed by:
- Burning / incineration;
- Burying in authorized landfills, burning / incineration, composting or transformation into biogas with pre-treatment
- Certain Category 2 materials can be recycled without prior treatment as feces of domestic animals, eggs for the production of biogas, fertilizers, soil conditioners or oleochemical products.
Category 3 materials can be removed by:
- Burning / incineration;
- Burying in authorized landfills and pre-treatment burning / incineration;
- Anaerobic digestion;
- Alkaline hydrolysis;
- Composting and transformation into biogas;
- Certain Category 3 materials may be used for the production of pet food or technical products.
Animal by-products in RNM are currently disposed at a landfill or facility intended for disposal of animal by-products by dumping it underground or on land surface. The ABPs currently are disposed of in a landfill, i.e. an establishment intended for disposal of ABPs, by their unloading under or on the ground, including:
а) internal landfills, where the producer manages his own landfill within the scope of the production facilities
б)permanent landfills, for a period of more than one year, used for temporary storage of ABPs, excluding:
- establishments where the ABPs are unloaded for the purpose of preparations for onward transport for making them fit again, their treatment or disposal of at a different place or
- storage of ABPs before making them fit again or their treatment within a time frame of less than three years as a general rule or
- storage of ABPs prior their disposal within a time frame of less than one year.
Leaving, throwing and uncontrolled disposal of animal by-products is prohibited.
Animal breeders are obliged to report to the Local Veterinary Office and the legal person designated for the collection of animal carcasses and animal by-products for all deceased animals irrespective of the cause of death
The legal entities and natural persons that produce by-products of animal origin while performing the activity, shall be obliged to provide harmless disposal or processing in a prescribed manner so as not to pose a risk to human and animal health, water, air, soil and plants.
Municipalities are responsible for the collection and safe disposal of animal carcasses and animal by-products from their territory under the conditions and manner specified by law.