RESIRK FôR
Knowledge Base for Regulatory Development – Towards More Circular and Sustainable Feed Production in Norway
The goal for the societal mission on sustainable feed, is that all feed used for Norwegian farmed fish and livestock within 2034 should come from sustainable sources that contribute to lower greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard biodiversity, and strengthen national food security. The RESIRK FôR- project aims to develop a knowledge base to support regulatory development that enables the safe use of alternative feed raw materials, while also identifying areas where existing knowledge is insufficient for such changes.
The industry shows willingness to utilise by-products and novel raw materials; but, the current feed regulatory framework, which is largely harmonised with EU legislation, was developed with a focus on safeguarding animal, human, and environmental health, before increased circularity in food systems became a central objective. As a result, the use of alternative feed ingredients is currently constrained.
The RESIRK FôR-project aims to develop a knowledge base to support regulatory development that enables the safe use of alternative feed raw materials, while also identifying areas where existing knowledge is insufficient for such changes.
The project includes the identification of regulatory barriers, assessment of factors that may reduce the need for broad precautionary approaches, and a systematic synthesis of existing knowledge through literature reviews, expert assessments, and other sources. Furthermore, the project analyses the need for regulatory amendments including interactions with adjacent regulations relevant to feed and food safety, logistics, etc.
The project combines regulatory analysis, stakeholder analysis—including the use of “risk negotiation” as a tool within risk analysis—and in-depth analyses of six selected cases: alternative substrates for insect production; cultivation of single-cell organisms; low-trophic organisms; processing of animal-derived products; utilisation of fish by-products; and sustainable feed for terrestrial livestock based on data from related projects.
The results will be assessed against risk criteria and will form the basis for knowledge-based proposals for further development of the regulatory framework.
Project coordinator at The Norwegian Veterinary Institute:
Cooperating Partners:
- NIBIO
- Institute of Marine Research
- SINTEF
