News from the Biofertiliser Certification Scheme

The latest news from the Biofertiliser industry


Changes to the operation of the Biofertiliser Certification Scheme

Posted: 2 July, 2019. Written by Olivia Furssedonn

*Please note, this form was updated on 11/112/2019  and is now version 3*

The PAS 110 Digestate Analysis Request Form, to be used when sending digestate samples to REAL’s Approved Laboratories for the purpose of Certification, has been revised. Scheme applicants and certified Operators are required to use the Request Form under the Biofertiliser Certification Scheme.

There are two key changes that have been made to the Request Form. A ‘Certification code’ field has been added to the form. A temporary Certification code can be requested from REAL at the point of application for initial validation, or when seeking to certify a new digestate output/fraction. Should you already be a certified Operator under BCS, this field should be populated with a valid Certification Code which your Certification Body will issue to you for each certified digestate output/fraction.

Secondly, the form has been updated to include a field to indicate the type of sample being sent for testing and the purpose of the analysis. The options for the purpose of the testing include ‘Validation’, ‘Routine verification’ and ‘Re-sample verification’. A description of each of these sample types is included within the ‘Important Notes’ section on the second page of the Request Form.

The laboratory appointed to analyse a digestate sample will use this unique Certification code to upload the test results to a central database owned by REAL. This change has been introduced to improve the robustness of the BCS.

The revised from should be used from the 1st July 2019. REAL appreciate that this is a significant change to the operation of the Scheme and will therefore be introducing an adjustment period of six months for applicants and Operators already certified under BCS to familiarise themselves with the new requirements.

Please find the revised PAS 110 Digestate Analysis Request Form attached below. Alternatively you can locate the form here or by visiting the Laboratory Tests page of the Certification tab within the BCS website.

Further Information: