Canadian Authorities Assessing Application For Recycled Phosphorus In Animal Feed

A formal application has been submitted to approve the use of RevoCaP, a high-purity recycled phosphorus product, in Canadian animal feed. The filing was made by Friesen Group in cooperation with Swedish environmental company Ragn-Sells and its innovation company EasyMining. The application reflects a growing demand for clean phosphorus sources.

Phosphorus is essential for producing both fertilisers and animal feed, yet global supply is highly vulnerable. A handful of countries control most phosphate rock reserves, many containing high levels of hazardous heavy metals. Canada has no domestic phosphate mines and relies entirely on imports, primarily from the United States.

“To manufacture animal feed, we need phosphorus. But supply is uncertain and many deposits contain high levels of hazardous heavy metals. Gaining access to clean, recycled phosphorus from domestically sourced incinerated biosolids is a fantastic opportunity for us,” says Marvin Friesen, CEO of Friesen Group, which is applying for the approval of RevoCaP in Canada.

Canada has identified sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship as national priorities. The approval of RevoCaP will strengthen Canada’s resilience in the feed supply chain by reducing reliance on imported mined phosphorus, while ensuring long-term sustainability through circular nutrient recovery. This aligns directly with Canada’s broader commitment to food security, environmental responsibility, and critical minerals strategy.

Ragn-Sells’ innovation company EasyMining has developed Ash2Phos, a patented process that recovers more than 90 percent of the phosphorus from incinerated sewage sludge, producing RevoCaP – a high-purity calcium phosphate that can replace mined imports. The first full-scale Ash2Phos plants are currently being built in Schkopau, Germany, and Helsingborg, Sweden.

Although the European Commission has already approved recycled phosphorus for use in organic farming, a decades-old rule still bans its use in animal feed. The Swedish government is now urging the Commission to request a new risk assessment from EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) as the basis for changing the regulation. Unlike the EU, Canada does not ban recycled phosphorus from incinerated biosolids in animal feed.

“We are ready to scale up circular phosphorus production in Europe, but outdated laws are in the way. If the EU wants to strengthen food security, resilience and competitiveness, it must allow safe, recycled phosphorus in feed. Otherwise Europe risks losing innovation, investment and future industry to countries outside the EU,” says Pär Larshans, Chief Sustainability Officer at Ragn-Sells Group.

The United States recently added phosphate to its 2025 Critical Minerals List, placing it alongside lithium, cobalt and rare earth elements as strategically essential. The move comes as a new scientific study concluded that global phosphorus demand may outstrip supply by 2040–2050, with the EU facing sharply rising agricultural and industrial demand.

Fact Box: What is Phosphorus?
Phosphorus is essential for life, critical for plant growth, and indispensable for both mineral fertilisers and animal feed. Ragn-Sells and EasyMining’s Ash2Phos technology recovers over 90% of the phosphorus from sewage sludge ash, i.e. incinerated biosolids, enabling to replace imported mined phosphorus with high-purity, circular phosphorus, called RevoCaP.

Calcium phosphate from sludge (like RevoCaP) ash is now approved for organic farming in the EU, but outdated feed rules still prevent its use in animal feed within the union.

Learn more about phosphorus and food security: https://www.ragnsells.com/circular-transition/think-circular/foodsecurity/

About Ragn-Sells Group
The environmental company Ragn-Sells converts waste into raw materials that can be used over and over again. Ragn-Sells drives the transition to a circular economy through solutions that reduce its own and other actors' environmental and climate impact. Ragn-Sells is a family owned corporate group founded in 1881. The company operates in four countries and employs 2,760 people. In 2024, Ragn-Sells’ turnover was SEK 8.8 billion. For more information, visit www.ragnsells.com