Agriculture, food & feed
Dry matter basis, crude protein and moisture
For grain, feed ingredients and fertilisers, analytical values are stated “as is” or on a dry matter (DM) basis. A soybean meal at 12 % moisture with 46 % protein as is, for instance, corresponds to about 52.3 % on dry matter, so offers on different bases cannot be compared directly. Crude protein is nitrogen found by the Kjeldahl or Dumas method multiplied by 6.25. Contracts should state the maximum moisture, minimum protein and the price discount or premium for deviations – for example a 1.5 % discount for each 1 % protein shortfall.
EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)
Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 requires that soy, palm oil, cocoa, coffee, cattle, rubber and wood – and products made from them such as leather, chocolate, furniture, paper and tyres – placed on the EU market were not produced on land deforested after 31 December 2020 and comply with the producing country’s laws. The operator submits a due-diligence statement including the geolocation of the production plots, and countries are classed as low, standard or high risk. For suppliers selling these commodities into the EU, plot-level traceability is now a commercial precondition.
Feed safety certification (GMP+, FAMI-QS, FSSC 22000)
GMP+ Feed Certification, of Dutch origin, is a HACCP-based safety standard for producing, trading, storing and transporting feed ingredients; European feed buyers often require it of suppliers, and it also requires certified road and sea carriers. FAMI-QS is a quality and safety standard specifically for producers of feed additives such as vitamins, amino acids, enzymes and premixes. On the food side, FSSC 22000, BRCGS and IFS play a similar role. Validity and scope – which products, which site – should be checked in the online databases.
Mycotoxins and aflatoxin limits
Toxic compounds produced by moulds in grains, oilseeds, nuts, spices and feed: aflatoxins (B1 and total), ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone, fumonisins and T-2. Legal limits differ widely by country and use – in the EU, for example, aflatoxin B1 in nuts for direct consumption is limited to 2–8 µg/kg, and exceeding it triggers RASFF notifications and rejection of the shipment. The contract must state the limits, the sampling method and whose laboratory result is final.
Phytosanitary and veterinary health certificates
A phytosanitary certificate is issued under IPPC standards by the exporting country’s official plant-protection organisation after inspection, confirming that plant products – grain, pulses, seeds, timber, wooden pallets – are free of pests and meet the importing country’s requirements. Animal products such as meat, milk powder, fishmeal and gelatin require an official veterinary health certificate instead. Wooden packaging must be heat-treated and stamped under ISPM 15. Missing or non-compliant certificates lead to detention, destruction or re-export at customs.