Animal by-product disposal
Animal by-products are tightly regulated in the UK and the EU. There are regulations in place which cover the collection, transport, storage, handling, processing, use and disposal of animal by-products.
Animal by-products are categorised 1, 2 or 3 according to risk. There are prescribed options for handling, use or disposal. According to legislation, there are no universal rules for the disposal of all animal by-products. Fishermen, processors and retailers must be aware of the individual regulations for the disposal of mollusc shells, crustacean processing waste, and other forms of animal by-products. Any business generating material of animal origin which is not intended for human consumption needs to be aware of how the regulation applies to their business.
The responsibility of ensuring that the requirements of the animal by-products regulations are being met is on the person who has possession of the material at any particular point in the chain. Waste disposal legislation is very important throughout the EU. All waste is subject to a Duty of Care. This means that a producer of waste is responsible for that waste up to its final use or disposal.
A list of approved animal by-product disposal locations can be found on the Gov.uk website. There is also information on how to dispose of animal by products.
Additional guidance
In 2010, we produced a range of guidance notes on disposal of seafood waste. There may be more current information on Gov.uk.
- Mollusc shell waste guidance note
- Crustacean processing waste guidance note
- Seafood waste at sea guidance note
- Definitions of free of flesh shell.
Legislation on animal by products
We are currently working to update the legislation information on our site now the the UK is not longer in the EU.