"We have observed greater openness this year regarding the documents companies are willing to disclose. However, we see limited evidence of learning between companies so far," said Bård Skjelstad, Mattilsynet's Director of Aquaculture.
Photo: Mattilsynet.
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet) has released a review of the audits it conducted during 2024 on some of Norway's largest aquaculture companies.
While the authority observed progress in transparency and constructive feedback from companies, it indicated it also identified significant gaps in learning and compliance across the sector.
The 2024 audits focused on assessing whether aquaculture companies have effective systems, routines, and internal controls to meet regulatory requirements for fish health and welfare. The audits also included verification inspections at 10–15% of the companies’ facilities "to ensure that overarching plans and systems translate into consistent practices at the operational level".
"We believe that improvements at the system level lead to better outcomes for the greatest number of animals," said Bård Skjelstad, Director of Aquaculture at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, in a Norwegian language press release.
"If an audit identifies deviations or areas for improvement, the company must address these issues across all parts of its operations," Skjelstad said.
Despite some progress, recurring issues emerged during the eight system audits conducted this year. The findings highlighted areas where many companies struggle to meet regulatory expectations.
These include problems with data collection, where companies do not systematically collect data to support decision-making, and welfare documentation, where companies keep insufficient records on animal welfare, which Mattilsynet says "hinders risk assessment and the development of measures to protect fish from unnecessary stress and strain".
On risk management, Mattilsynet identified "weak links" between risk assessments and implemented plans or actions, while biosafety measures varied in quality and implementation across facilities.
Companies also tended to lack mechanisms to systematically learn from deviations, the Authority noted, limiting the possibility for continuous improvement across operations.
A central goal of the audits is to promote shared learning within the industry, Skjelstad emphasized, and in support of this, Mattilsynet publishes all audit reports on an ongoing basis.
Some of the aquaculture companies audited in 2024 expressed that the audits were valuable, with several describing the process as educational: "They noted that the process brought valuable insights to light and helped improve their operations," the Authority reported.
"We have observed greater openness this year regarding the documents companies are willing to disclose," said Skjelstad. "However, we see limited evidence of learning between companies so far."
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority is embarking on another round of audits in 2025, and has already announced the companies it plans to inspect.