MSC press release said that the changes to the MSC’s fisheries certification methodology will improve how certifiers respond to stakeholder contributions to fishery assessments. MSC’s Board of Trustees has approved the changes with an aim to increase the transparency and accessibility of the certification process for stakeholders, and to ensure that stakeholder contributions are considered rigorously.
The new rules of MSC is said to came into force from May 1 which strengthen the requirements upon certifiers to acknowledge and consider all written stakeholder comments, and to provide explicit responses from the assessment teams, at key stages of the assessment process. The new rules also clarify the duty of certifiers to address peer reviewer comments; to keep stakeholders directly informed of each step in the assessment process and any changes to assessment timelines; to directly acknowledge receipt of all stakeholder submissions and to provide an indication of how and when those submissions will be addressed.
The changes introduced mean that MSC certified fish is no longer required to be on site when an audit takes places, increasing flexibility. Rupert Howes, MSC Chief Executive, expressed that the MSC standards were created following an extensive consultation process, and as we refine and evolve the policies and methodologies that implement those standards, we are committed to fully involve and actively seek the views of stakeholders, clients and certification bodies who are engaged in the programme and to make sure it works well for all involved.
