Information Leaflet Sustainable Biomass Production First Interfaces - First Gathering Points - 3/7
2 information leaflet - first gathering points What is a first gathering point? First gathering points are operations and operational sites, which first of all receive the biomass required for the production of liquid biomass or biofuels from the operations, which cultivate and harvest this biomass, with the purpose of further trading. Therefore, they are first interfaces in need of certification. Operations are legally autonomous economic entities, which produce, process, trade or deliver the biomass. Operational sites (non-autonomous branches) are legally economic entities dependent of these operations. According to Art. 2 para. 3 no. 1 Biokraft-NachV or BioSt-NachV first gathering points in need of certification are operations and operational sites, which for the first time first receive the biomass required for the production of liquid biomass or biofuels from the operations, which cultivate and harvest this biomass (e.g. traders or cooperative societies) for the purpose of further trading. It is therefore not satisfactory if just the operational headquarters of an enterprise is controlled and certified. All of its operations and operational sites have to be controlled once a year, if they are first gathering points as defined in Art. 2 para. 3 no. 1 Biokraft- NachV or BioSt-NachV. A receiving of the biomass means on one hand the physical receiving of the biomass, on the other hand the receiving for accounting the biomass with the purpose of further trading.
information leaflet - first gathering points 3 A differentiation between the first gathering point in need of certification as defined in Art. 2 para.3 no. 1 Biokraft-NachV or BioSt-NachV and a bare stock of merchandise is, due to the verbalisation of the legal definition receive for the purpose of further trading, effected by classifying the stock of merchandise or the silo, whether or not it also includes transactions in commodities in the classical meaning, i.e. also the final transaction (billing) with the producer. In the case that the stock of merchandise belongs to a cooperative society, a bigger agribusiness house or another first gathering point, yet receives the goods itself just physically, weighs it and keeps the accounts on the receipts and outgoings and does not perform any further settlement with the producer or the buyer of the biomass, the stock of merchandise is, according to this description, a bare warehouse that is not in need of certification. With respect to the compliance with the mass balance specifications, however, these conditions have to be controlled by conducting a random inspection at least within the scope of the certification of the first gathering point. The scope of such a random inspection has to be specified by the certification systems. It should at least comprise 5 % of the population of operations and operational sites being involved as bare warehouses or silos. The certification systems have to make sure that the described definition of the first gathering point according to Art. 2 para. 3 no. 1 Biokraft-NachV or BioSt-NachV is not misused in a way that in the end only the operational headquarters of large-scale enterprises are listed as first gathering points.
4 information leaflet - first gathering points Within the scope of certification also all stocks of merchandise of first gathering points have to be controlled, whereas the first gathering point has to secure access to the stocks. How to document sustainable biomass at the first gathering point? For the sustainable biomass the first gathering point has to document the following: General Persons in the operation and operational site responsible for the documentation of the sustainability of the biomass Participation in a certification system Ensuring that all up- and downstream operations and operational sites, which themselves are no interfaces, comply with the specifications of the certification system of the first gathering point, and that they have themselves controlled by the certification body of theirs Registration number of the certificate for the first gathering point, certifying body issuing the certificate Arable farms Names and addresses of all arable farms Contracts concerning the production of biomass Scope of the contracts, structured by sustainable and not sustainable biomass Verification of area under cultivation (traverse)
information leaflet - first gathering points 5 Self declaration of the arable farms, that they comply with the requirements given by specifications of a certification system of the first gathering point and, if applicable, with the crosscompliance system List of the operations which stick to the policy (crosscompliance system) of the Regulation (EC) No. 73/2009 and voluntarily participate in the organisation EMAS Documentation, whether the arable farms are subjected to the provision according to Art. 50 or Art. 51 of the sustainability regulations. Documents for the calculation of the greenhouse gas emissions of the arable farms and of the transport Calculation of the greenhouse gas emissions which have already been generated Receipt of goods Names and addresses of all stocks of merchandise, operations and operational sites for the physical receipt of the goods, classified by sustainable and not sustainable biomass Warehousing contract Delivery documents about kind, amount and date of the received biomass Letter of agreement of the stock owners concerning the control and access rights of the certification body of the first gathering point Tracing within the operation Booking in the internal mass balance system: Input in and output out of the corresponding process Kind of the process, especially explanation of the weight loss
6 information leaflet - first gathering points Outgoing goods Names and addresses of the downstream operations and operational sites as well as interfaces Supply documents concerning kind, amount and date of the further delivered sustainable biomass Contracts of purchase Greenhouse gas emission Calculation of the greenhouse gas emissions which have already been generated GHG emission values by internal processes (real values or standard values) especially: Energy intake (electricity, heat, fuel) Amount of waste / effluent Emission of the production residues Emission of the transport Disclosure of relevant data to downstream operations, operational sites as well as interfaces How often are first gathering points controlled? The fulfilment of the requirements is controlled in the context of a certification of the interface every six months in the first year, afterwards once a year, by a recognised certification body and according to the specifications of a recognised certification system.
information leaflet - first gathering points 7 Where do I get which information from? First gathering points obtain concrete information from the recognised certification systems and certification bodies, the specifications of which they apply or by which they have themselves controlled. Further general information about sustainable biomass production are contained in the Guidelines Sustainable Biomass Production of BLE or on the internet site www.ble.de under Kontrolle und Zulassung/Nachhaltige Biomasseherstellung (control and accreditation/sustainable biomass production).
Publisher Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) Deichmanns Aue 29 53179 Bonn Telephone: +49 (0) 2 28 99 68 45-2550 (general information) Telephone: +49 (0) 2 28 99 68 45-2500 (information on the nabisy web-application) Facsimile: +49 (0) 2 28 68 45-3040 E-mail: nachhaltigkeit@ble.de (general information) E-mail: nabisy@ble.de (Information on the nabisy web-application) Internet: www.ble.de Editor Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) Unit 412 Recognition and accredition issues, Sustainable Biomass Production, Energy Crops Design Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) Press desk Printed by MKL Druck GmbH & Co. KG, Ostbevern/W, Germany Photo/Picture credits Leonid Shcheglov, visual energy, Uschi Hering, Mikael Damkier - Fotolia.com Situation October 2010