Irish Farmers Association (IFA) Aquaculture Executive Richie Flynn described the company’s achievement in passing the ASC audit as a solid industry response to customers, the public and regulators who demand the highest standards, transparency and independent evidence of the aquaculture sector’s long-term commitment to sustainability.
He said: “With 40 years of knowledge and expertise in farming the Irish coast we have learned how to build a long-term sustainable industry and have established the sector as an important employer in peripheral rural areas. You can’t get any further west in Europe than Deenish or our other farms from Donegal to West Cork yet these remote locations are sites where modern, state of the art standards, monitoring and management are implemented on a daily basis to produce quality fish for the home and export market.
ASC certification is awarded to farms based on standards of compliance, conservation, environmental responsibility, stock management, social responsibility and neighbour relations.
“IFA congratulates Marine Harvest and all its staff on the certification, which sends a very important message to the public, consumers, the government and world markets that Ireland is a relatively small but very proud and ambitious part of the growing aquaculture industry worldwide,” concluded Mr Flynn.
