The ASC's new Aquaculture Feed Standard promotes environmental and social responsibility associated with feed production for the aquaculture industry.
Image: ASC / SCS Global Services.
SCS Global Services, the world’s leading third-party certification body, has become the first auditor accredited to provide certification for Aquaculture Stewardship Council’s (ASC) Feed Standard.
The certification aims to promote greater environmental and social responsibility within the aquaculture industry, SCS said in a press statement announcing the collaboration.
As a third-party certification body, SCS follows ASC’s Feed Standard requirements to evaluate and assess the entire feed production process, from raw material sourcing to feed formulation and production.
The ASC Feed Certification process involves a comprehensive audit of a feed mill's operations, assessing compliance with ASC's stringent standards for environmental sustainability and social responsibility.
This includes evaluating sustainable sourcing of ingredients, minimizing environmental impacts, and ensuring ethical labour practices, culminating in certification for those that meet or exceed these criteria.
By setting strict requirements for the sourcing of all major feed ingredients, the certification program aims to protect marine ecosystems, conserve biodiversity, reduce deforestation and land conversion (both legal and illegal), and promote sustainable seafood farming practices, SCS and ASC said.
“SCS Global Services is committed to fostering sustainable practices across various industries, and this collaboration enables us to contribute our expertise to the aquaculture sector," said Jason Swecker, Managing Director of Seafood at SCS Global Services.
“Ensuring the feed used in seafood farming is sourced responsibly is essential to moving aquaculture towards more sustainable practices," said Alexandra Warrington, Senior Coordinator, Feed Standard at ASC.
"ASC’s Feed Standard requires that feed mills meet strict environmental and social requirements; source ingredients from socially responsible suppliers; and use environmentally responsible raw materials," she added.
Warrington noted that ASC certified farms now have until October 2025 to transition to compliant feed sourced from mills certified against the Feed Standard.
She also confirmed that feed mills achieving certification during 2024 will not have to pay license fees on the volume of compliant feed they produce this calendar year.
Last month, Mexican-based feed producer Vimifos and the Chilean branch of global feed manufacturer Skretting became the first feed mills to obtain the new ASC Feed Standard certification.