An Introduction to Rendering

You may or may not know that FM Caine is part of the JG Pears Group. Founded in livestock farming, JG Pears specialises in animal by-product and food waste collection services. As fallen stock collectors, our line of work is naturally paired with JG Pears’ operations. Both businesses are family-run and we share many core values.

JG Pears provides rendering services. Rendering is a process that converts waste animal by-products into usable materials. For hundreds of years, several industries including personal care, pharmaceutical and pet food businesses to name a few, have relied on rendering for the oils, fats and protein products needed to make their goods.

By recovering and processing animal by-products (ABPs), the traditional process of rendering keeps resources in use for as long as possible. It means that the carbon and resources used to rear animals are not wasted. It’s one of the oldest forms of recycling and is vital if we are to achieve carbon-neutral living.

Reusing animal by-products (ABPs)

Modern rendering turns waste from the meat industry into a wide variety of everyday products. Thanks to new technologies, we can turn almost all ABPs into usable products and materials.

Some are used to produce animal fats which are used in pharmaceuticals, waxes and biodiesel, or high-quality protein-rich feeds for the pet-food and fish aquaculture industries. These recycled animal fats play a significant role in reducing the demand for palm oil. Across the EU, 950,000 tonnes of rendered fat are used in the animal feed industry each year and 575,000 tonnes in the chemical industry. That massively reduces the demand for oil palm trees which in turn reduces deforestation and the destruction of habitats that wildlife like orangutans need to survive.

Processed animal protein (PAP)

Meat, bone and blood from low-risk material can also be processed and turned into what’s called processed animal protein (PAP), which is used for feed ingredients. PAP is an environmentally friendly alternative to imported soya meal. Making PAP creates only 10% of the greenhouse gases of soya production. PAP is also used in feed for fish farms as a replacement for feed made from caught wild fish.

Organic material fertliser

Another use for meat and bone by-products is as fertiliser. The material is burnt to remove pathogens, then the ash forms the basis of a nutrient-rich fertiliser which is free from mined or imported chemicals. Rich in phosphorous, the nutrients from the grass that the animal consumed in life are returned to the soil. It really is the circle of life.

What happens to the ABPs that can’t be re-used?

Remarkably, 99% of the material sent for rendering is put to good use.

Both low and high-risk materials can be used to produce biodiesel, which generates just 15% of the greenhouse gas emissions of fossil diesel.

JG Pears has a combined heat and power plant that combusts Category 1 meat and bone meal (MBM) to generate steam for its rendering operations.

The rendering industry is one of the world’s oldest recycling industries, taking what would otherwise be waste material to make useful products. At the same time, rendering solves what would otherwise be a major disposal problem. When food ends up in landfill it produces methane, a greenhouse gas more than 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere.

It’s not just food waste from restaurants and butchers that can be rendered. Waste products from abattoirs and poultry processing plants along with fallen stock can all be recycled.

What we do might not be well publicised in the fight against climate change, but it’s a vital part and we’re proud to be doing our bit for the environment while serving our farming and livestock community.

To find out more about JG Pears and its rendering facilities, you can visit the company’s website.