Marine Harvest Ireland salmon farms in Donegal have successfully passed Friend of the Sea audit and labeled product will soon be sold in Switzerland as a main ingredient of the SushiZen restaurant chain. This is one more product from Ireland certified Friend of the Sea, following last summer certification of the Irish albacore troll fishery and processors.
The Marine Harvest Ireland farms are not new to quality and environmental recognition, as they have also obtained the Label Rouge and the BIM Certified Quality Salmon ECO standard certification, in addition to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and BRC.
Since the site development, an extensive Environmental Impact Assessment was run, considering all potential impacts. The farms do not impact wild stocks as they have their own broodstocks and production is closed cycle. Extensive net testing and preventive nets maintenance (no use of antifouling) have meant no escape since the site was developed. The company has a policy of not using GMOs nor growth hormones and a disease prevention policy constantly supervised by a veterinary. It daily monitors water parameters and follows the national guidelines for the control of sea lice. Feed is managed aiming at reducing FCR and optimizing feeding practices.
“While the audit was requested by the Swiss customers, we have appreciated Marine Harvest collaboration and the farm environmental performance” comments Dr Bray, Director of Friend of the Sea “salmon farmed production has made important improvements in terms of lowering its impact on the surrounding habitat – we feel it is important to let consumers know about this.”
