European Fat Processors Renderers Association
EFPRA
EFPRA represents the Fat Melters and Renderers in nearly all EU member states, and on yearly basis processes more than 16 millions metric tones of animal by products at over 450 production sites.
ID: 402216719647-87
Lobbying Activity
Response to Commission Implementing Regulation on the list for the purposes of Article 26 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1252
25 Jul 2025
EFPRA, the European Fat Processors and Renderers Association, represents the European animal by-products industry. Fats and protein derived from animal by-products have applications in many markets from animal feed, pet food and fertiliser to biofuels and oleochemical products (soaps and detergents). Animal by-products are a concentrated resource for the production of meals containing a high concentration of proteins / nitrogen and phosphorus, and animal fats which are unique in Europe as they pose the solely source for hard (saturated) fats in Europe. Proteins and phosphorus are highly digestible feed ingredients. Their replacement by plant protein would not only require imports but also phosphorus as fertiliser. The replacement of animal fat is mainly coco fat or palm oil as hard fats. Today, the market faces more and more animal by-products disappear in biogas and composting plants, where neither the fat nor the proteins can be substantially used except for energy. Phosphorus and nitrogen are diluted and can only be used as fertiliser. Animal by-products are not only by-products from slaughterhouses and cutting plants but also by-products from butchers, retailer and supermarkets. Their strict separation, collection and valorisation should be guaranteed in the CRMA. We therefore recommend to take up rendered products from animal by-products in the Annex as a separate point and to exclude their downgrading to biowaste!
Read full responseResponse to Towards a Circular, Regenerative and Competitive Bioeconomy
23 Jun 2025
EFPRA, the European Fat Processors and Renderers Association, welcomes the bioeconomy strategy of the Commission. It will be an important step towards greater resilience in many commodities and a reduction of import dependencies in critical markets. Rendered products already serve these markets and replace important proteins and hard fats. To maintain this potential for rendered products, it is essential not to lose the raw material to biogas/bioenergy beforehand. The energy-rich co- and by-products of livestock farming and meat processing are attractive resources for bioenergy production, but this use will reduce the availability of necessary complex organic compounds and molecules, such as fats, fatty acids, and functional proteins/amino acids, which are essential for many purposes. It is therefore indispensable to set clear and harmonized rules in the EU to ensure that these co- and by-products are rendered into valuable products before being used for bioenergy, thereby reducing imports. The production and importance of bioenergy should not be denied, but the focus must be on using resources that cannot be used otherwise, such as food and catering waste.
Read full responseResponse to COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION on extending the scope of traceability of the Union database
6 Nov 2024
EFPRA represents the European Rendering industry, producing i.e. animal fats of Category 1, 2 and 3. EFPRA fully supports any initiative to avoid biofuel fraud risks within or from outside the European Union, as long as it means the same working conditions, requirements and opportunities for European (EU) and Third Countries (TC) companies and their supply chain. Both, renderers, acknowledged as point of origin, and other operators in the waste and residue collection sector which suffered a dramatic price decline due to fraudulent UCO imports from China over years, support strong rules applicable worldwide. Therefore, the obligation for EU and TC Economic Operators to report raw material data into the Union Database (UDB) is a necessary step, and a Delegated Regulation (DR) is, in turn, needed to modify the original UDB traceability scope and current working conditions. Concerning the specific measures to comply with such an obligation, as established in the Commissions DR draft, EFPRA refers to the attached specific comments:
Read full responseResponse to Revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2018/2001
19 Sept 2020
Dear Madam, dear Sir,
EFPRA is the European Association representing the animal fat melting industry and the animal by-products industry.
More information on what EFPRA is and does can be found on www.efpra.eu
We enclose our position paper on the pending review of the EU Renewable Energy Rules.
Yours sincerely,
Dirk Dobbelaere
Secretary General
EFPRA
Boulevard Baudouin 18 (Bte 4)
1000 Brussels
Read full responseResponse to Environmental claims based on environmental footprint methods
31 Aug 2020
EFPRA, the European Fat Processors and Renderers Association, appreciates the initiative of the EU set in the Green Deal.
And we agree that results of environmental foot print calculations should be comparable to give consumer a better overview.
In the 2013-2018 consultation a lot of time, money and efforts from both sides, industry and Commission were already spent, all aspects discussed and finally conclusions taken which resulted in the current PEF / OEF rules.
An update is therefore not necessary and would postpone the activities for years.
It is more important to achieve an agreement with other international rules to make OEF / PEF not only comparable inside the EU but also worldwide. This will be an important step for EU-exports but also to achieve full recognition of the new initiative. For the Livestock Industry a full set of tools was already developed by the international FAO-LEAP Partnership. This partnership is composed of NGO, countries and industry and thus very representative. Moreover, many conclusions are very similar or close. Therefore a mutual recognition of these rules would strengthen EU products and push the Green Deal Initiative to an international level.
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