With 10 years of experience in transporting animal by-products, we can say that this branch of transport is not without its paradoxes. We invite you on a journey through the most interesting quirks that each of us has to deal with in our daily work.

1. Animal By-Products Often Mirror Edible Goods: Often, animal by-products are the same as those sold daily for human consumption. When supply exceeds demand, traders seek alternative buyers, such as pet food manufacturers. No one anticipates not selling high-quality products at normal prices, so these products are collected in bulk packaging. However, animal by-products require containers with special Category 3 labels, necessitating frequent repackaging.
2. Mandatory Degradation at Loading: Food products must be downgraded to Category 3 at the point of loading. This degradation cannot occur at the recipient’s location. Moreover, fully edible products not downgraded to Category 3 cannot be delivered to a Category 3 processing facility, even though they are the same products.
3. Approval of Trailers and Vehicles: All trailers and vehicles must be approved by veterinary authorities for Category 3 transport. Category 3 products cannot be transported on food-grade trailers. However, this does not apply to sea and rail containers, where Category 3 products can be transported in the same unit.
4. Container Paradox: Since containers do not require special approval for Category 3 transport, the question arises: how do we approve the carrier transporting them? It’s possible! We approve the chassis for container transport. Thus, the chassis is approved for transporting animal by-products, while the container carrying the Category 3 product does not need approval.
5. EU Regulation Interpretation Variances: In the EU, regulations regarding animal by-products are the same, but their interpretation can vary widely. Additionally, each member state can establish its own additional detailed regulations.
6. Polish Drivers’ Working Time Exemption: In Poland, drivers transporting animal by-products are exempt from recording working time on the tachograph card. However, they cannot cross border as other countries do not have such regulations, and they would automatically be breaking the law.
7. German Restrictions on Fresh Category 3 Products: German regulations state that fresh Category 3 products can move during road bans, but an animal by-product is considered such only when stored at a controlled temperature. Therefore, transporting Category 3 in a tanker during a road ban in Germany is not allowed.

There are certainly more paradoxes to be found. This only confirms that transporting animal by-products requires knowledge and experience to avoid problematic situations. Therefore, such transport is best entrusted to specialists.