Processing plant for bovine sub products The applicant, Panymex Int. S.A. from Panama, and the local partner Sociedad Comercial Agropecuaria Tusequis LTDA, will establish a processing plant for the production of concentrated liquid plasma, bovine serum and bile paste. Inputs for this process are blood and bile from slaughterhouses, which are currently dumped in the waste water system. The project constitutes an environmental solution for the many small abattoirs. A joint venture will be set up in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, to collect the blood and bile (which represent more than 50% of the pollution generated at the abattoir) and process these raw materials into high value ingredients for the food, feed and pharmaceutical industry, with state-of-the-art technologies. Within the project, the joint venture will cooperate with 4 major abattoirs in the Santa Cruz area, for the collection of blood and bile. The joint venture will install equipment and have own staff permanently stationed at those sites, to perform the extraction of raw materials.The end products bile paste and bovine serum will be exported for the pharmaceutical and feed industry. The concentrated liquid plasma will be sold locally as input for the food industry, to be used in products like sausages.Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)The joint venture will have explicit CSR policies with regard to social standards, safety, environmental issues, production process certification and policies regarding salaries and secondary benefits. As the project will handle food grade plasma, and pharmaceutical ingredients, HACCP certification is a must. The Bolivian ministry of work also has to certify the factory (permit) before starting production. Regarding animal welfare, the Bolivian legislation is non-existent, but partners will support the abattoirs with the introduction of more stress-free slaughtering methods, if only to get a higher blood extraction yield.Impact•	Employment and working conditionsThe joint venture will pay salaries of at least 50% above the minimum wage in Bolivia. The company will develop its own CSR policy. A cooperation committee will be formed between the manager and 2 representatives of the workers to discuss working conditions, salary, etc. Besides the strict Bolivian labour law requirements, the joint venture will offer supplementary health insurance, working cloths, educational programmes and other fringe benefits.•	Innovation/Transfer of knowledgeThe production of 'food grade' concentrated liquid plasma, bovine serum and bile paste, is completely new for Bolivia, and also the processing technology (sterile collection of blood, bile and foetal serum) is new.•	Chain effectsThe suppliers of raw materials are the larger abattoirs in the Santa Cruz region, which will benefit from a significant reduction in their water pollution loads. The extracted blood is currently dumped in the waste water system, and constitutes more than 50% of the pollution.Local customers will benefit from better quality meat products and sausages.•	EnvironmentThe project has a positive effect on the environment. Collecting and processing blood and bile will cause a significant reduction of the organic contamination from the slaughterhouses. Thereby the efficiency of the few existing water treatment plants will increase. Today, municipal abattoirs are not forced to comply with the environmental rules as no solution for the blood contamination is available. Politically, closing down abattoirs is a bigger problem than disregarding the contamination they generate. Once the blood processing plant is in operation, the environmental authorities will have the justification to enforce existing environment rules and regulations.•	Impact on food safetyThe partners will work according to the food processing regulations of Senasag and the factory will be certified according to HACCP and GMP norms. This means that all products sold at the local market and used in sausages, etc will include ingredients of a higher degree of food safety regulations.•	Impact on waterAs a result of the project the contamination of the water with waste products at the abattoirs will significantly diminish. To set up a joint venture for the production of concentrated liquid plasma, bovine serum and bile paste annually for the pharmaceutical, feed and food industry.