- Who this helps
- Animal-feed procurement teams and project managers working with qualified nutritionists, quality teams and engineers.
- Decision supported
- Use “Certification schemes and chain of custody models” to document sustainability requirements, missing evidence and acceptance questions before committing to a purchase.
- Last human review
- Not recorded for this guide. Confirm current technical and destination requirements with a qualified reviewer; no review date is implied.
- Access
- Free to read and use. No account or inquiry required; requesting team review is optional.
Sources & verification
Claim-level source verification is not recorded for this guide. Use the official source directory for background research; it does not validate this guide’s claims or replace local professional review.
Key points
- The chain of custody model determines the permissible claim.
- Mass balance does not mean the physical material is certified.
- Claim wording is governed by the scheme's own rules.
The four common models
Identity preserved keeps material from a single certified source separate throughout. Segregated keeps certified material separate but may mix certified sources. Mass balance allows administrative matching of certified volumes. Book-and-claim decouples the certificate from the physical flow entirely.
Matching model to claim
Only identity preserved and segregated support a claim that the physical material is certified. Mass balance and book-and-claim support volume-level claims and must be described accordingly, in the wording the scheme prescribes.
What to verify
- Chain of custody model stated on the transaction documents
- Claim wording matching the scheme's rules for that model
- Certified volumes reconcilable against purchases
Risks to manage
- Physical-product claims made on mass-balance purchases
- Certificate scope not covering the traded product
- Volume claims exceeding certified purchases
Common mistakes
- Treating all certified purchases as equivalent
- Communicating a claim in wording the scheme does not permit
- Not retaining transaction certificates for reconciliation
Frequently asked questions
Is mass balance a weaker option?
It is a different instrument. It supports market development for certified production where physical segregation is impractical, but it does not support a claim about the specific material delivered.
What evidence should be retained?
Transaction certificates, supplier certification details and volume reconciliations for the retention period the scheme requires.
Related reading
Industrial feed calculators
Other calculatorsFree planning tools for feed volume, water, airflow and heat load — with the assumptions shown, so you can defend the numbers internally.
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