Category 3 animal fats: the importance of safeguarding this vital ingredient

Category 3 animal fats are by-products of human food and are essential raw materials for the pet food industry that cannot be easily replaced.

The pet food industry is a typical user of these fats as they provide pet food with a source of energy and palatability but, above all, essential fatty acids. Category 3 animal fats are becoming a rare commodity on the EU market partially due to the trend toward lower meat consumption in the EU.

However, there is also a challenge from the energy and transport sector, which is looking to decarbonize as soon as possible. They are looking for suitable ingredients to be converted into biofuels. Category 3 animal fats are one of these options, and consequently, the share of category 3 animal fats used for biofuels has consistently increased over recent years.

Unintended consequences

With the ambitious EU targets to raise renewable energy to 42.5% by 2030, the use of category 3 animal fats for biofuels could increase even more.

The European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF) fully supports the Green Deal and transport decarbonization. However, other sectors should not be put at risk, and the necessary safeguards must be implemented to avoid adverse repercussions and unintended consequences.

In line with the waste hierarchy, the FEDIAF believes that category 3 animal fats should be protected for use in pet food and not poured into fuel tanks. We believe that by-products not intended for human consumption should be repurposed by using them in pet food first, which sits well above energy use in the EU’s own hierarchy of options for food waste disposal before being used as biofuels.

For this reason, in 2021, the FEDIAF created a task force to promote the importance of safeguarding category 3 animal fats.

Monitoring the situation

The industry is monitoring the developments of legislation, including the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED III), Refuel EU Maritime regulation and Refuel EU Aviation regulation. Working together, the industry is presenting policymakers with this important information about category 3 animal fats while advocating a stronger link between the waste hierarchy and energy & transport legislation.

In addition to campaigning on an EU level, the FEDIAF is working on a national member states level via its national counterparts. EU countries are now preparing to transpose the revised Renewable Energy Directive and accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels. For this purpose, they will be looking to promote the use of alternative sources to produce sustainable biofuels.

Although there is a considerable risk, there is still an opportunity to safeguard category 3 animal fats. The FEDIAF is calling on EU Member States to protect this valuable ingredient and include safeguards in national legislation to help the pet food industry to continue providing safe and nutritious food for the 300 million pets in the EU.

The alternatives 

Importantly, there is an alternative for biofuels: category 1 and 2 animal fats, which are forbidden for use in pet food, are available and more suitable for use as biofuels.

Category 3 animal by-products are not a necessary element for the decarbonization of biofuels.

The failure to safeguard category 3 animal fats from use in EU biofuels could put the health and welfare of EU pets in danger. The pet food industry has always been proud of its contribution to a circular business model based on the use of many by-products from human food, including these animal fats.