Aquaculture Certification Council, Inc.

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Aquaculture Certification Council, Inc.
www.aquaculturecertification.org
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Aquaculture CertificationCouncil, Inc.

• Independent Non-profit Non-member public
• benefit corporation established in January 2003.
• -- Adopted Responsible Aquaculture Codes of
  Practices to establish standards for process
  certification of aquaculture facilities.
• Mission - To improve supply and safety of
  aquaculture products from producers and
  processors and to promote the education and
  advancement of scientific knowledge related to
  the aquaculture industry.

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• Uses elements of GAA Responsible Aquaculture
  Practices to establish standards that can be
  applied to the industry to assist farms and
  processing plants in dealing with environmental
  and social concerns and food safety concerns of
  the consumers.

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• Why Certification Is Important
• Program addresses the growing concern of
  consumers, buyers and NGOs regarding food safety
  and environmental/social issues.
• Certification of responsible aquaculture
  practices is necessary to compete in todays
  market with new demands and low prices.

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• Certification Process
• Encompasses onsite inspections and audits
  to verify participants are in compliance with
  aquaculture practices that assure food safety,
  social responsibility and sustainable
  productions methods.
• Process certification with orientation
  toward seafood buyers.
• Program is practical to implement and
  accessible to large or small operations.
• Program is buyer oriented and market driven.
• Certification is designed to solidify
  consumer confidence in the safety of certified
  aquaculture product, satisfy growing
  environmental concerns and social issues
  concerning workers safety and standards.

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Responsible Aquaculture Program

• The Evolution from GAA
• Gathering Facts
• Codes of Practice
• Current Farms and Processing Plants
• Future Hatcheries and Feed Plants
• Future Other Aquaculture Species
• Quantitative standards Developed by an
  Oversight
• Committee
• External Review of Standards
• 2 year process
• Industry, Regulators, Academia, NGOs,
  Stakeholders

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• Aquaculture Certification Council, Inc.
• Formed to Conduct Certifications
• Shrimp Farms Now
• Processing Plants July
• Feed mills 2004
• Hatcheries 2004
• Other Aquaculture Species - 2004

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Program Development

• Environmental and Social
• Guiding Principles for Responsible Aquaculture
• Codes of Practice for Responsible Shrimp Farming
  and Processing
• Quantitative Standards for water quality
  effluents,
• and solid waste and sediment
• management.
• Food Safety
• Biological pathogens
• Antibiotics
• Chemical hazards and
• Pesticides
• Traceability

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Program Orientation

• Product Certification
• High liability
• Consumer Label
• Complex labeling
• Expensive consumer education
• Counterproductive to alert consumer about issues

• Process Certification
• Minimal liability
• Satisfies environmental and social concerns of
  regulatory agencies
• (FDA, Department of
• Agriculture)

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Program Orientation

• Buyer Orientation
• No retail labeling (Logo at wholesale level)
• Keeps sensitive issues within buyer/seller
• community.
• Program driven by demand from buyers who are
  driven by consumers.
• Client (Farm) Orientation
• Addresses sensitive issues within industry
  (Govt. agencies, NGOs, effluent sediments,
  contaminants)

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• Activities
• Train and accredit independent (3rd party
  certifiers)
• Wrote and revised aquaculture standards for
  process certification of farms and
  soon processing plants, hatcheries, and feed
  plants.
• Establish and maintain traceability database to
  assure compliance with food safety standards.

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• Hatchery
• Registration with government certified by ACC.
• Use certified disease free post-larvae from
  hatchery.
• Do not import non-indigenous species without
  government approval must be certified as
  disease free.
• Responsible disposal and treatment of waste and
  effluents.
• Properly acclimate postlarvae and verify as
  disease free before stocking. Destroy diseased
  animals.
• Do not use illegal and banned chemicals and
  antibiotics in production process.

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Farms

• Site farms to avoid significant technical
  environmental and social problems to ensure
  projects are harmoniously integrated into local
  environmental and social settings.
• Design farm and construct to overcome site
  limitations and to prevent negative
  environmental and social impacts.
• Protect environment, especially mangroves from
  adverse impacts of farming practices.
• Legal land ownership documented permission to
  operate.
• Responsible pond operations to protect
  environment quality and enhance sustainability.
• Use approved chemicals only, no banned
  antibiotics.
• Good quality feed no live feed, uncooked feed
  or organic fertilizers. Avoid excess use of
  fertilizers and overfeeding.
• All water shall meet quality standards before
  being discharged.

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Farms Cont.

• Minimize exchange rates, do not mix fresh water
  with salt water.
• Use good health management protocols to manage
  stress and diseases.
• Dispose of sediments and wastes responsibly to
  enhance protection of coastal land, water
  resources and public health.
• Containments should be built to prevent fuel
  spills.
• Proper screening of water being pumped and
  discharged.
• Control sedimentation of discharge water.
• Inlet and discharge canals should be separate so
  water supply and effluent are not mixed.
• Use healthy hatchery larvae rather than
  wild-caught larvae.
• Promote responsible effluent management and
  discharge based on International Codes of
  Practices.

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• Community, Labor, Human Rights
• Hire local workers fair compensation.
• Safe, healthy working conditions.
• Respect child labor laws respect human rights.
• Take steps to train workers and protect employee
  health and safety hazards.
• Respect the environment and regulations
  regarding the rights of local people to use
  coastal resources.
• Support local community and public health
  programs and provide suitable working and living
  conditions for workers living on facilities.
• Work with government and NGO organizations to
  avoid conflicts and misunderstandings.
• Respect use of land, resources and environment
  of local communities.

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• Feeds and Feed Use
• Promote feeding efficiency of supplemental feeds
  to minimize waste load in ponds.
• Store feed in dry areas to prevent mold and other
  contamination. Do not feed contaminated feed.
• Medicated feed should be used only if necessary
  for the control of a specific diagnosis of
  diseases.
• Feeding of uncooked organisms such as fish and
  invertebrates in prohibited because they carry
  diseases and foul pond waters.
• Feed ingredients should be tested to verify they
  are free of contaminants, microbial toxins and
  adulterating substances.

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• Harvest and Transport
• Proper icing and handling of shrimp to maintain
  quality.
• Prompt delivery to processing plant.
• Sanitary working conditions at receiving or
  depot facilities.
• Do not use unsafe chemicals to treat shrimp.
• Transport shrimp under safe conditions to avoid
  contamination from fuels, oils and
  contaminants.

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• Processing Plants
• Processing plants must comply with local and
  national laws including those related to product
  exportation.
• Processing plants must comply with local and
  national labor laws to assure worker safety and
  adequate compensation.
• Processing plants must dispose of process water
  and sewage in a responsible manner that does
  not create pollution, cause excessive odor or
  spread disease.
• Fuel, lubricants, plant chemicals and
  potentially dangerous compounds must be properly
  labeled, stored, used and disposed of in a safe
  and responsible manner.

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• Processing Plants Cont.
• Processing by-products and garbage must be
  disposed of in a sanitary, responsible and
  bio-secure manner.
• Processing plants must have a current HACCP plan
  and process control program that includes
  preventative measures to control food hazards
  and ensure product safety.
• Production process controls and ensures product
  quality.
• Accurate records that establish product
  traceability and identity must be documented.

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Shrimp Farm Certification
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Farm Certification Standards

• Community
• Property rights and regulatory compliance
• Community relations.
• Worker safety and employee relations.
• Environmental
• Mangrove conservation
• Effluent management
• Sediment management.
• Soil/water
• conservation.

8. Postlarvae sources. 9.
Storage disposal of farm
supplies.

• Food Safety
• Drug Chemical Management
• Microbial sanitation
• Harvest and Transport
• Records for product traceability

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Certification Procedure

• Facility submits certification application form
  and application fee to ACC
• Facility selects certifier and contracts
  inspection
• Site inspection and effluent sampling
• Facility pays entry participation fee that is
  based on facility production.
• Certified facility issued unique ID and listed on
  ACC website
• Facility maintains records
• Facility is audited by ACC for compliance yearly
  and recertified if audit is passed.

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Processing Plant Certification
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Processing Plant Certification Standards

• Community
• Community - Regulatory Compliance.
• Community - Worker Safety and Employee Relations
• Environment
• Effluent Management
• Storage and Disposal of Plant Supplies
• 5. Waste Management
• Food Safety
• 6. Food Safety and Quality Assurance.
• 7. Record Keeping Requirements for Traceability
  and Product Verification

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Traceability

• Need to track all aspects of product history from
  egg to table
• Everything that is certified must be traced.
• A live database system is being established for
  Certified shrimp

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Traceability

• Old Paradigm Inspect for defects at end of
  production process

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• Microbiological contamination
• Antibiotic residues
• Environmental Issues
• Social Issues

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Traceability

• New Paradigm Implement standards and
  traceability at each step of process

Feed Manufacturing
Quality Assured
Pond Growout
Processing
Hatchery
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Fees

• Certification Application Fee 500
• Inspection Fee for Certifier
• Paid by farm, processing plant, feed mill,
  hatchery, or analytical lab.
• 400-800/day plus travel expenses of inspector
• Participation Fee (Farm) - Based on production -
  ranges from 500 - 6,000 per year based on
  1.00 per metric ton.
• Participation Fee (Plant) Based on facilitys
• annual export of farmed shrimp. 2,000 for up
  to
• 1 thousand metric tons and 2.00 per metric ton
  thereafter.

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• What the ACC Program Offers
• Process Certification for Food Safety.
• Traceability Verification with record management
  and Logo Use.
• Container Verification and testing for Food
  Safety
• Audits for Verification of Compliance
• Listing on Website for Certified Facilities
• Better Quality Product Through Codes of
  Practices at Farms and Processing Plants

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• More the ACC Offers
• Program that is practical to implement and
  financially accessible to small farms and
  plants.
• Program that can be audited and verified by
  trained professionals to assure it is in
  compliance with product standards demanded by
  buyers and consumers.
• Addresses sensitive environmental and social
  issues and benefits of implementing Best
  Management Standards.
• Greater marketability of product due to the
  production process certification.

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• Conclusions
• Aquaculture Certification Council, Inc.
• Independent body to conduct third party process
  certification, oriented to buyers.
• Improved food safety and greater marketability of
  product.
• Traceability database linking all steps in
  production process
• Container verification through testing.
• Addresses sensitive environmental and social
  issues.
• Educational program to advance responsible
  aquaculture.