The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) used Seafood Expo Global as a springboard to launch a new certification standard for farmed seafood.
‘Sustainability is no longer a trend; it’s the undeniable future, unfolding now. With the population estimated to reach 10 billion by 2050, and with wild-caught fisheries at capacity, the importance of seafood farming will continue to grow—the environmental and social impacts of our industry must be addressed,’ said ASC CEO Chris Ninnes, formally launching the Farm Standard at the event in Barcelona.
‘That is why ASC is driven to accelerate that transformation, not least by championing farms and feed mills that are making change.’
Aligning the twelve ASC species standards into one global standard, the ASC Farm Standard brings greater consistency to requirements across all species standards.
‘Built on four pillars – fish, farm, people and planet – the Standard empowers producers to meet regulatory and market demands, enhance farming practices and fish health, prioritise worker and community wellbeing, and protects biodiversity,’ commented ASC director of standards and science Michiel Fransen.
During the launch, the Farm Standard received industry support from guest speakers representing stakeholders across the supply chain.
Sophie Ryan, CEO of the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI) which unites 40% of the global farmed salmon sector described the new standard as both ‘ambitious yet practical.’
‘We see the Standard playing a critical role in guiding our sustainability journey but also being a key marker to our stakeholders of our responsible practices. It is ambitious in its scope and its requirements – continuing to demonstrate its leadership in assessing impact across a holistic spectrum of impacts. Yet it is practical in that it follows a risk-based approach to focus on topics where there is the highest risk and reduce the administrative and cost burden where there is low risk. This is something that is key if we are to focus efforts where it is really needed and not overburden to limit progress,’ she said.
Nomad Foods Group sustainability manager Oliver Spring was also positive about the new Farm Standard. Nomad Foods is Europe’s leading frozen foods company, owning brands including Birds Eye, Findus and Iglo.
‘We can see that the ASC Farm Standard and the ASC programme deliver across the areas that are most important for us, and the customers and consumers we engage with. The holistic approach of the Standard – covering positive environmental impacts, to improvements in human rights and fish and seafood welfare – all delivered through the most robust and ambitious requirements in fish and seafood farming, answers this need,’ Oliver Spring said.
Aware that change takes time and effort, ASC is implementing a two-year transition period. While some early adopters are ready to change now, this will allow others the time they need to adapt their practices to fully implement the new standard. The existing ASC species standards will remain operational during this time.
‘Sourcing with integrity is not easy and is rarely cheap and balancing value with values is often a daunting task. We’re only as strong as the whole supply chain. To build on the progress made by ASC certified farms, we need full commitment through the supply chain,’ commented Sainsburys head of aquaculture and fisheries David Parker, highlighting the benefit of the comprehensive assurance that Farm Standard provides.
