A steering committee of 14 industry and non-government stakeholders designed the draft standard to be a workable tool for the shrimp industry in ASEAN to improve the sustainability, environmental and social performance of farming, especially at the small-scale, and receive recognition in key export markets.
The draft standard complements existing national good aquaculture practices and aims to align with internationally accepted environmental and social standards, including the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch® Programme sustainability assessment criteria and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council standards.
The process for developing the Shrimp Standard for ASEAN aims to align with the ISEAL Alliance’s globally recognised guidelines for setting environment and social standards.
The draft standard is split into farm, hatchery and feed mill standards which cover traceability, shrimp health, sustainable stock sourcing, sustainable feed sourcing, environmental impact management and good labour management.
With the formation of an ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, the region will become one of the 10 largest global economies and a major player in the global seafood industry. The creation of a single market will present an opportunity for the industry and other interested stakeholders to work collaboratively across the ASEAN region to improve sustainability of shrimp farming and promote responsible aquaculture practices in a way that continues to support food security and safeguards the livelihoods of small-scale shrimp farmers.
The public comment process is open to all individuals, organizations and entities interested in providing inputs and feedback on the draft standard, in line with international guidelines for creating environmental and social standards defined by the ISEAL Alliance.
The steering committee will use this feedback to revise the draft standard that will be piloted or field tested with farmers in several ASEAN countries. The steering committee plans to finalise the Shrimp Standard for the ASEAN Region by early 2015.
To review the draft shrimp standard and provide input, you can download the Public Comment Feedback Form and the Draft Shrimp Standard for ASEAN here.
