Biofertiliser Certification Scheme

OF&G provides the inspection and certification of biofertiliser to PAS 110 and the Anaerobic Digestion Quality Protocol (ADQP) under the Biofertiliser Certification Scheme (BCS)

Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 110 was developed by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to help create a market for the use of anaerobic digestate (AD) as a renewable fertiliser.

The Biofertiliser Certification Scheme (BCS) provides assurance to consumers, farmers, food producers and retailers that Biofertiliser produced from anaerobic digestion processes is safe for human, animal and plant health.

Biofertiliser is the name adopted for the digestate certified under the BCS for end-of-waste and quality assured status.

To learn more about the scheme, visit https://www.biofertiliser.org.uk/.

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To find out more please contact OF&G on
01939 291800 or write to us at info@ofgorganic.org

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What is PAS 110?

Processing food waste and other organic materials, such as livestock manures and slurries, in an anaerobic digester (also known as a biogas plant) produces biomethane, which can be used as a source of renewable energy and digestate.

Digestate is a slurry like liquid rich in nutrients and used as a renewable fertiliser.

The British Standard Institution (BSI)’s publicly available specification (PAS 110) provides a baseline quality specification for digestate, ensuring it is safe and reliable to use.

PAS 110 includes requirements about how food waste and other materials can be processed and is one of the fundamental pillars of the BCS.

Close to five million tonnes of digestate accredited under the BCS is produced in the UK every year and used as renewable fertiliser in agriculture, field-grown horticulture, forestry and land restoration.

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End of Waste certification criteria
in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the End of Waste certification criteria comprises:

BCS Scheme Rules – details how the BCS operates and include procedures for application to the scheme, product complaint investigation, etc.
PAS 110 – sets out the technical requirements for the anaerobic digestion process and production of AD, including the minimum quality criteria. It specifies requirements for a Quality Management System (QMS) to produce digestate to ensure it is consistently fit for its intended uses.
Anaerobic Digestion Quality Protocol – sets out criteria to produce quality digestate from anaerobic digestion of source-segregated biodegradable waste (biowaste). Quality digestate from anaerobic digestion includes the whole digestate, in addition to any subsequently separated fibre or liquor fractions. If these criteria are met, quality outputs from anaerobic digestion will normally be regarded as having been fully recovered and to have ceased to be waste.

Operators in Scotland can apply for End of Waste (England, Wales, and Northern Ireland) if supplying to England, Wales, or Northern Ireland.

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End of Waste certification criteria in Scotland

Scotland has not, to date, adopted the Anaerobic Digestion Quality Protocol (ADQP), and this is not a requirement for digestate producers in Scotland.

For biogas plants in Scotland, the certification criteria comprises:

BCS Scheme Rules – details how the BCS operates and include procedures for application to the scheme, product complaint investigation, etc.
PAS 110 – sets out the technical requirements for the anaerobic digestion process and production of AD, including the minimum quality criteria for whole digestate, separated liquor and separated fibre.
SEPA’s End-of waste regulatory position statement for digestate – This sets out SEPA's requirements for digestate to achieve End of Waste. This RPS introduces additional standards, reducing the levels of plastic contained within digestate (the plastic limit is 8% of current PAS 110 limits). This aligns with plastic contamination limits by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) standards.

Fully recovered digestate can be supplied, stored and used as ‘products' in Scotland. However, they cannot be supplied for use as a 'product' in England or Wales unless they are also certified compliant with the ADQP.

Operators in England, Wales and Northern Ireland can apply for End of Waste Scotland, if they are supplying, storing and using their product in Scotland.

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Why certify with OF&G (Organic Farmers & Growers)?

OF&G has been involved with the development of the BCS from the outset in 2007/8 alongside the Renewable Energy Association (REA) and WRAP.
Consequently, we have industry leading experience in the certification of PAS 110 and the ADQP. We certified the first BCS licensee in 2011 to PAS 110:2010
OF&G has their own dedicated team of independent inspectors
OF&G works hard to ensure its voice is heard on behalf of you, our licensees
OF&G offers practical, experienced guidance for your business

Why is Biofertiliser certification necessary?

Biofertiliser produced in the anaerobic digestion process can be a useful, cost-effective and sustainable source of soil nutrients.

However, their use on the land needs to be regulated to ensure the public, farmers, food producers and retailers can have confidence in the safety of the process.

Where digestate is produced to the BSI PAS 110 quality standard, everyone can have confidence that its use as Biofertiliser is safe and has been checked by an independent approved body.

OF&G provides the inspection and certification of Biofertiliser to PAS 110 and the ADQP under the BCS. This is undertaken on behalf of Renewable Energy Assurance Ltd (REAL), a subsidiary of the REA.

To achieve successful certification, facilities producing the digestate will need to meet the requirements of the BCS regarding inputs, processes and the Biofertiliser produced.

The benefits of going through this process are that the digestate resulting from anaerobic digestion can safely be used by farmers as a good source of sustainable fertiliser.