Certifiers can now apply to become accredited; when successfully concluded this will allow them to undertake the first farm assessments against the ASC Pangasius Standard.
Accreditation is done by the independent accreditation body Accreditation Services International (ASI). This marks another essential step towards ASCs ambition of becoming the leading certification programme for responsibly farmed seafood.
Chris Ninnes, CEO of ASC, expressed his delight about this latest development of the ASCs certification programme: After the successful launch of the ASC Tilapia standard in March, I am very happy to be able to introduce our second ASC Standard today. This is a clear signal that ASC is making tremendous progress towards its goal of becoming the world's leading certification and labelling programme for responsibly farmed seafood. ASC helps bring farmed Pangasius to the market from farms that have proved to limit their environmental and social impacts. He added "that we will now turn our attention to delivering the remaining standards to market during 2012 and we will launch the shellfish standards next."
The pangasius industry has grown almost exponentially this past decade. Having a credible and robust ASC-Pangasius standard available to certify responsible farmers will help ensure that the better performers are recognised and, for the first time, that the impacts on environment and society are addressed in a relevant way. This standard was developed in three years with the input of over 600-participants, which represents the most credible approach in addressing the issues surrounding pangasius farming, said Jose Villalon, Chairman of the Board of the ASC.
Mr Ninnes also noted that: With the recent launch of our new ASC logo consumers can now easily choose for responsibly farmed seafood. The logo helps them make positive environmentally and socially responsible choices when shopping for fish. It allows consumers to enjoy seafood knowing where it has come from and how it was produced.
Related documents such as the ASC Farm Certification and Accreditation Requirements, ASC Pangasius Standard, Pangasius Audit Manual and Pangasius Pre-audit Checklist can be downloaded from the download centre at: www.asc-aqua.org
ASC Launches Accreditation for Pangasius
GLOBAL - The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has launched its second standard into the market with the opening of its accreditation process for Pangasius.
by Lucy Towers
