The standards encompass all major farmed mollusc species, including mussels, scallops, oysters, clams and abalone, and replace the existing BAP mussel farm standards.
The BAP Standards Oversight Committee (SOC) unanimously approved the standards for release to the market in late April, followed by approval from the GAA board of directors.
The standards can be viewed here:http://bap.gaalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/02/BAP-MolluskF-516.pdf
A series of comments were received during the 60-day public comment period. Comments were received from respondents that included farmers, producer associations and non-governmental organizations from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.
The comments are available on the GAA website:http://bap.gaalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/02/BAP-MolluskF-Com.pdf
“This represents a major milestone for the BAP program, which now encompasses virtually all aquaculture production systems for finfish, crustaceans and mollusks. Congratulations are in order for Brian Kingzett and his technical committee for their painstaking efforts in creating a workable standard that can be applied globally to the full diversity of farmed molluscs,” said BAP Standards Coordinator Dan Lee.
