The Department for Transport updated its feedstock classification publication for the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate on 15 September 2026. The change adds classifications for hop vine residues, certain on-farm animal mortalities, and wastewater and sludges generated during the preparation and processing of fruit, vegetables and cereals.
This is an update to an official classification list, not a proposal, consultation or legislative change. The list identifies materials that may be used in renewable fuels under the two schemes. DfT says it must be read alongside the RTFO and SAF Mandate technical guidance, which sets the applicable eligibility rules for each scheme.
Conditions on the added classifications
The detailed publication categorises materials as products or as other materials, including wastes and residues. The hop-vine entry covers contaminated processing residues from harvested hop cones. In this context, contamination means that the residues have no alternative marketable use. The entry has a listed valid-from date of 15 July 2026.
The livestock-carcass classification concerns on-farm animal mortalities that are unfit for human consumption. It excludes animals that died from disease, and evidence must be provided to show that the relevant conditions have been met. Its listed valid-from date is 1 February 2026.
The third addition covers material from on-site effluent treatment during the preparation and processing of fruit, vegetables and cereals. The classification sets a nitrogen-content ceiling of 5%. It excludes municipal sewage sludge and sludge from non-biogenic industrial processes. Its listed valid-from date is 1 March 2026.
How the list is used
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Under the RTFO, suppliers have renewable-fuel obligations and use renewable transport fuel certificates as the compliance mechanism. Materials in tables 3 to 6 of the detailed list can receive double RTFO renewable transport fuel certificates for each litre or kilogram of renewable fuel claimed, subject to the relevant scheme rules.
The tables also identify whether individual materials are development-fuel feedstocks and whether fuel made from them is subject to the hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids, or HEFA, cap. The list distinguishes single-counting materials from qualifying wastes and residues that may receive double-certificate treatment under the RTFO.
For the SAF Mandate, the feedstock list states that sustainable aviation fuel made from products or crops is not rewarded. Inclusion in the publication does not replace the separate eligibility requirements set out in the scheme’s technical guidance.
DfT says prospective feedstocks can be added following industry applications for classification, while existing classifications may be reviewed when new evidence emerges. The parent publication was first issued on 22 December 2021 and has been amended several times during 2025 and 2026.
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