The new “Certified Humane” certification standard, which seeks to ensure high welfare standards throughout the salmon farming industry, is the first standard to be developed by Humane Farm Animal Care to specifically target the cultivation of fish.
Through the implementation of the certification scheme, the Humane Farm Animal Care team hope to enhance the well-being of animals in the food production sector, raise awareness among both the public and farmers about the importance of adhering to best practices in animal welfare, facilitate the adoption of production methods that prioritize greater animal welfare, and establish utmost credibility in standards for animal welfare, inspection, and certification processes.
“The animal welfare standard that we will soon launch is for farmed Atlantic salmon; therefore, it is focused in Chile – the only country in the [Latin American] region with this kind of production,” said Luiz Mazzon, programs director for Humane Farm Animal Care, in an interview with SeafoodSource.
“Other salmon-producing countries such as Canada or Australia can also apply for certification if they wish," he added.
The criteria that producers must meet to achieve certification status includes strict requirements for farmed animals to be able to express natural behaviours, and to be fed diets that exclude the use of sub-therapeutic antibiotics and growth-enhancers.
The animal welfare non-profit began its work to develop the certification scheme in 2022, using the Scottish salmon aquaculture sector as a case-study, citing Scotland’s salmon industry as “a world reference for salmon welfare certification”.
The “Certified Humane” scheme will be officially launched at Aquasur 2024, a Chilean aquaculture conference and trade-show.
