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BAP certification programme has been expanded for salmon farms. (Photo: Global Aquaculture Alliance)
BAP standards for salmon farms finalised
UNITED STATES
Tuesday, June 21, 2011, 02:30 (GMT + 9)
The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), the leading standard-setting organisation for farmed seafood, has expanded the Best Aquaculture Practice (BAP) certification programme with the completion of BAP standards for salmon farms.
"This is another big step forward for BAP," GAA Executive Director Wally Stevens said. "With the salmon standards coming on line, the programme now covers another very important species via international guidelines that protect the environment, worker rights and animal welfare, while also addressing food safety and traceability."
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| Farmed salmon process. (Photo: Global Aquaculture Alliance) |
The BAP standards for salmon farms apply to the cage and net pen production of salmon and rainbow trout. They join BAP's standards for shrimp, tilapia, pangasius and channel catfish.
The BAP programme also includes standards for feed mill, hatchery and processing plants. Over 1.5 billion lb (700,000 tonnes) of seafood are processed under the BAP programme annually.
BAP is now open to salmon farmers and processors, and is working with certification bodies to develop auditor guidelines for the new standards. An August BAP auditor course in Ireland will emphasize the salmon standards.
The BAP Standard Oversight Committee (SOC), whose members represent a balance of stakeholders from industry, NGOs and academia, unanimously approved the standards for implementation. The salmon standards were initially drafted by a technical committee under the chairmanship of aquaculture scientist and consultant John Forster. The standards were then redrafted following input from the public review process, finalized and approved by the SOC and GAA board.
The BAP standards are based on current best practices, but continuously evolve with advancing technology. BAP strives to set standards at an achievable level to encourage a broad cross section of producers to participate and effect positive changes within the industry.
The Best Aquaculture Practice certification programme develops achievable, science-based and continuously improved global performance standards for the aquaculture supply chain to assure healthful foods produced through environmentally and socially responsible means.
Related article:
- BAP standards for pangasius farms completed
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