Animal by-products: A valuable 5th Quarter

www.beaconresearch.co.uk

Animal by-products (ABP) are an importantand potentially valuable aspect of the livestockfood production chain and are described inmany parts of the world as the “Fifth Quarter”.

This description relates to the fact that manyanimals slaughtered for food (meat) are splitinto four quarters as part of the butcheryprocess. The fifth quarter is an attempt todescribe those parts of the animal that arenot directly consumed by humans as food.More accurately these materials are termedanimal by-products or ABP for short.

If and when ABP are acknowledged by society,they are generally regarded as a problem. Thefocal point, for our industry and for the widerpublic, has for the last 25 years, been centeredaround the issues relating to the BSE epidemic inEurope. However, from the days at the height ofthis issue for both animal and human health,between 1992 and 1996, very significant progresshas been made to gain a heightened sense ofresponsibility for our sector. Recognition that theABP industry is actually an integral link in the

“food-chain”, has made a major difference toattitudes to our sector both from within and outside of our industry.

The industry that processes ABP’s are calledrenderers although they use a variety of processingtechniques. Rendering is the main process used bythe industry of course, and this involves using heatto stabilize, sterilize, and separate the de-hydratedmaterials into derived products; namely animalprotein meals and rendered animal fats. Currentlythere are two main two main applications for useof both types of derived product: In the food-chainor as a source of renewable energy.

In the food-chain, uses include as protein, energyand/or mineral ingredients for compound feedsfor animals raised for human food productionor for companion animals. Renewable energyapplications include uses as bio-liquid for steam,raising boilers or thermal oxidisers, or as an ingredient in Biodiesel.

Another process becoming more commonly usedby the industry is anaerobic digestion or AD forshort. This process also produces two end products:Biogas [Methane], which is used as a renewablefuel to power engines and turbines, or is injectedinto the national gas distribution network and thedigestate which is used as a liquid fertliser.

Animal By-Products: A valuable 5th Quarter

ABP OrganisationsThere are several tiers of organization for the ren-dering industry, each level built upon a level below.

Starting at the UK level, the individual renderingcompanies are formed into the FABRA

In turn FABRA is a member of both the EuropeanFat Processors and renderers association (EFPRA),and the World Renderers Organisation (WRO).Their respective roles and foci are as follows:

EFPRA The ABP sector in Europe is represented byEFPRA and it’s members are responsible for thecollection, processing and use of ABP within Eu-rope and further afield. Over 16 million tonnes ofABP are processed every year, by “rendering” As aresult, EFPRA members produce nearly 4 milliontonnes of protein meals and 2.75 million tonnesof rendered fats. Since 2002, all ABP in the EU issegregated according to risk and essentially thathas dictated the actual and potential uses forthe derived products.

World Renderers Organisation (WRO) WRO was founded in 1999 to represent the inter-national rendering community. Rendering, knownto be the world’s original recycling business,has been prominent in several civilisations forcenturies. Processors from the USA, Canada, UK,Europe, Australia, and New Zealand established

the WRO that now represents more than 20countries. New country members are alwayswelcome to join the organisation. Following the BSEcrisis in Europe in the1990’s, it became essentialthat renderers engage international regulators withone voice. WRO has become that voice in dialoguewith OIE, WHO, FAO, and Codex Alimentarius.

WRO encourages a science-based regulatoryframework that will permit the maximum utilisationof rendered animal products in a safe and sustainable manner. Education, research, andadvocacy are important features of WRO.

Renderers will play a key role in the future in regardto climate-related issues, international economics,and closing the gap between food (human) andfeed (animals) that provide real challenges. WROmembers must be imaginative and innovative intheir processing methods, and minimise energyuse and waste in order to maximise opportunities.

Factoring into this is world population growth,declining natural fish resources, and the globalenergy situation with limited and costly resources.There is no doubt that now is the time to promoterendering as a responsible and prudent industrythat is extraordinarily capable of playing an essential role in our planet’s future.

The WRO is the organization that represents therendering industry worldwide, serving as an exchange platform for education and informationamongst its members and with like-minded associations around the world. WRO representsits members in international government andworld organization forums debating topics suchas food production, animal and human health,and the environment.

The vision of the WRO is to be the principal organisation representing the interests of therendering industry on a global level, serving as avehicle for exchanging points of view on renderingissues and, where appropriate, to express positionsto governments and world organisations.

The WRO attempts to enhance the contributionof the global rendering industry in improving the

3

environment and in meeting the growing globalneeds for feed, food, biofuel, and industrial raw materials in a sustainable manner, withoutadversely affecting the production of food forhuman consumption.

Key Areas for Animal by-product processors

BiosecurityRendering is a process that ensures a high standardof biosecurity for the livestock industry by theefficient stabilisation and sterilisation of biodegrad-able and microbiologically containing animal by-products. Renderers are able to achieve highstandards of biosecurity by operating their processesto internationally agreed sanitary standards.

SustainabilityRenderers can be considered sustainable inthree areas: economic, social, and environmental.Environmental sustainability is especially clear asrendering requires a high level of energy inputto operate, and renewable fuels used for bothheat and electricity can supplement fossil fuels.Rendering may be described as a truly sustainableindustry because many renderers are able tosupply renewable biofuels from other processessuch as the rendering of non-feed use animalby-products.

Nutrition Rendered products have supplied the nutritionalneeds of farmed livestock and domestic (pet)animals for over 100 years. The nutritional characteristics of animal protein meals and fatsmake them highly sought-after sources of aminoacids, energy, and fatty acids. Modern processtechniques and formulation programmes ensurethat animal proteins and fats can be used to meetthe complex demands for specific nutrients thatmay be needed by specific species of livestock,such as pigs, poultry, and aquatic animals, or bytype, breed, or age of domestic animals.

BiofuelsRendered fats and oils, including Used CookingOils (UCO) may be used in two primary ways assources of biofuel. First as a direct substitute forfossil fuel sources such as oil and gas used in

steam raising boilers or oxidisers. Second as themain ingredient in fatty acid methyl ester (FAME)types of biodiesel that may be used in road andmarine vehicles. In both situations, rendered fatsand oils can play an important role in achievingsignificant reductions in greenhouse gas emissionsand a reliance on fossil fuels. An even morewelcome benefit is that the use of such materialsdoes not influence food policy as these materialsare never intended for human consumption.

IndustryThe many uses of rendered products – mainlyrendered fats – in industrial applications are wellknown, starting with tallow candles, hard soaps,and as components in lubricants, plastics, andrubber-based products such as tyres. Not so wellknown are the uses of rendered fat derivatives inconsumer products such as cosmetics, paints,polishes, and cleaning products.

EnvironmentRenderers protect the environment in several ways.First, biological or environmental hazards areprevented by the prompt processing of animalby-products. Second, by processing the rawmaterials in specialised rendering plants, potentiallypolluting materials can be captured and treated soas to prevent contamination of air, water, and soil.

ResearchThis activity has played an important role in takingthe industry from the very difficult period of the1980’s and 1990’s to where we are today. Howeverthe focus on research is now altering, and thepotential areas of growth for our sector must beunderpinned by further research efforts. Majorefforts must be applied according to the utmost

4

need to add value to the livestock sector viamaximizing the value of the ABP within the con-straints of all the relevant EU regulations. Riskanalysis, in terms of evaluating effects on humans,animals and the environment is fundamental. Inparticular, risk associated with raw materials, theprocess envisaged and the use of the productsmust form the foundations of any research proposal.In addition, the economic viability of the proposedresearch outcome must be considered beforeany project is approved. The scope for research iswide and in practice, can cut across many scientificdisciplines. This fact alone may make fundingsomewhat difficult as not one size fits all when itcomes to researching ABP!

Nonetheless, some of the most promising areasfor research are shown below:• Maximizing the amounts of edible products

harvested from food producing animals, ratherthan let them become ABP at the point ofproduction in slaughterhouses.

• Consider alternative processing technologies,other than rendering, for the processing of ABP,including the use of anaerobic digestion anduse of ABP in organic fertilisers.

• Determine the effect cooling technologies haveon ABP, in terms of potential to increase productyields, reduce environmental pollution andproduce high quality renewable energy products.

• Develop methods to utilise the low ABP carbonfootprint from our industry to assist the mitigationof greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from foodproducing animals.

• Animal nutrition research on optimizing nutritionalqualities of products for targeted food producinganimals (including aquatic species), and thereforeallowing substitution for less sustainable feedingredients such as soya-meal or fishmeal.

In ConclusionThe efficient, sustainable and safe collectionprocessing and use of animal by-products is anessential element of modern livestock agriculture.Animal by-products can make a positive contributionto the meat industry and the “fifth quarter” description often used, is an appropriate one.The current range of possible processes anduses for the products has given a firm foundationfor future research to add even more value tothe Fifth Quarter.

Stephen Woodgate

Managing Director of Beacon Research Ltdwww.beaconresearch.co.uk

Chief Executive of FABRAwww.fabra.co.uk

A member of the executive board of EFPRAwww.efpra.eu

President of WRO www.worldrenderers.org

5

www.beaconresearch.co.uk