Organic Certification &

Eco-Labelling in Aquaculture

Dr. Bimal Kinkar Chand

Directorate of Research, Extension & Farms,
West Bengal University of Animal & Fishery Sciences,
Kolkata, India, 700037
 Introduction

 Organic certification system is a quality assurance initiative,

intended to assure quality, prevent fraud and promote commerce,
based on set of standards and ethics.
 It is a process certification for producers of organic food.
 Certification is a procedure made by a certification body to
recognize that a product, process or service conforms to specified
standards or regulations.
 Eco-labelling is a market-based tool to promote the sustainable use
of natural resources.
 The purpose of ecolabelling and certification schemes is to
influence the purchasing decisions of consumers, the procurement
policies of producers and retailers.
 Why Certification

 Third party assurance from producer to the consumer

 For uniform label

 Assurance to the consumers that its concern for healthy food

has been addressed.

 Effective marketing tool for Image, credibility, visibility/

Transparency
 Organic Certification - The Balance of interests

Consumer requests healthy and

environmentally sound products

Willing to pay premium price

Farmer is producing according to certain

standards (putting higher labour)

Getting access to premium price markets

4 Keys components of Organic Certification

Certification

Inspection

Standards

Accreditation
Accreditation Standards Inspection Certification
 Guarantees that
 Define production
the certification On-site visit to verify Written confirmation
methods, not the
program is that the performance that a process or
product quality
competent to carry of an operation is in product is in
out specific tasks  Can be International, accordance with compliance with
National or regional specific standards prescribed standards
 Authoritative
standards
body defines
policies, standards
and checks
certification
system according
to standards
 Labelling of Organic Products
 Easy recognition of organic quality and certification system
 Confirms the fulfilment of the label regulations and of legal
rules
 They help to achieve a better price for organic products
 Steps involved in Organic certification
Exchange of information: The Certifying Body (CB) provides the detail
information about the technical and formal aspects of certification.
Pre-evaluation visit: The CB visits the farm to discuss the conversion
plan with all parties involved.
Inspection: In case an agreement is reached, the CB will engage an
independent inspection body to inspect the farm.
Certification: A certification committee independent of the CB would
then consider the inspection report.
Contracts: A producer contract between the farm and the CB is
entered into in which the farm commits itself to comply with the
standards of the CB.
Certificates: After all the formalities have been successfully concluded,
the certification committee of the CB will issue the general certificate
or farm certificate, stating the farm’s compliance with the standards of
the CB.
NATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR ORGANIC
PRODUCTION (NPOP)

Standards

Compliance
by Operators
Verified by the
Certification Body
Evaluated by the
Accreditation Body
 Implementation of the National Programme for Organic
Production (NPOP)
 To provide a focused and well directed development of organic
agriculture and quality products, Ministry of Commerce and
Industry, Government of India, launched the National Program on
Organic Production (NPOP) in the year 2000, which was formally
notified in October 2001 under the Foreign Trade & Development
Act (FTDR Act).
 NPOP provides information on standards for organic production,
systems, criteria, and procedures for accreditation of Inspection
and Certification bodies, the national organic logo and the
regulations governing its use.
 The standards and procedures have been formulated in harmony
with international standards such as those of Codex and IFOAM.
 NPOP is implemented under AGMARK by Ministry of Agriculture
for the domestic market (voluntary).
 Recognition of NPOP Standards

 The NPOP standards for production and accreditation system

have been recognized by European Commission and
Switzerland as equivalent to their country standards.
 USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) has
recognized NPOP conformity assessment procedures of
accreditation as equivalent to that of US.
 With these recognitions, Indian organic products duly
certified by the accredited certification bodies of India are
accepted by the importing countries.
 Scope of certification under NPOP
PRESENT CATEGORIES
 Cultivated Crops
 Wild Collection
 Processed food products (single/multi ingredients)
 Chain of custody (traders, storage, transport, export)

NEW CATEGORIES
 Aquaculture
 Livestock
 Textiles
Origins of Eco-labelling in fisheries and aquaculture
The eco-labelling schemes have emerged in reference to national,
regional and international measures for fisheries and aquaculture
sustainability at the early 1980s, which are:
 The United Nations Convention on the law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
(1982);
 The FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries(CCRF)(1995);
 The United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement(UNFSA) (1995);
 Various regional Fisheries Management Organizations
 The FAO Guidelines for the Eco-labelling of Fish and Fishery
Products from Marine capture Fisheries.
 The FEAP Code of Conduct for European Aquaculture (FEAP 2006)
 Eco-labelling was first recognized at an international level in 1992,
during the United Nations Conference on Environment which was
held in Rio de Janeiro.
 Objectives of Eco-labels and certification schemes
 Communicate verifiable and accurate information
 Encourage demand and supply of eco-friendly products & services
 Reduce ecosystem’s degradation
 Stimulate market-driven continuous environmental improvement
FAO Technical guidelines on Aquaculture certification
FAO, in collaboration with NACA, developed guidelines covering 4
ranges of issues relevant for certification in aquaculture.
 Animal health and welfare
 Food safety and quality
 Environmental integrity
 Social responsibility
 History of Organic Aquaculture Certification
Year Species/Issue Country Certifying Organization
1994 Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) Austria, Germany
1995 Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) Ireland Naturland
1997 Organic aquaculture standard Australia National Association for
Sustainable Agriculture, Australia
1998 Atlantic salmon United Kingdom Soil Association
1999 Shrimp (Penaeidae) Ecuador Naturland and GTZ
2000 Organic aquaculture standard France Agriculture Biologique
2000 Penaeus monodon Viet Nam Naturland and SIPPO
2001 Basic organic aquaculture standards Global IFOAM
2001 Organic aquaculture standard Australia
2002 Tilapia (not species specific) Israel Naturland
2003 Aquaculture Group formed Global IFOAM
2004 Organic aquaculture standard Denmark økologisk
2005 Organic aquaculture standard China
2005 Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) France
2005 Microalgae Taiwan POC
2005 Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) United Kingdom
2006 Pangasius Viet Nam Naturland and GTZ
2009 Organic aquaculture legislation EU Commission of the European
Communities (CEC)
ASC Shrimp Standard
 About the ASC
 ASC is the acronym for Aquaculture Stewardship Council, an
independent not for profit organisation.
 The ASC was founded in 2010 by the WWF (World Wildlife
Fund) and IDH (The Sustainable Trade Initiative) to manage the
global Standards for responsible aquaculture.
 The purpose of the ASC Shrimp Standard is to provide a means
to measurably improve the environmental and social
performance of shrimp aquaculture operations.

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 ASC components
1. Aquaculture Farm Standards

2. Independent 3rd Party Audits Conducted by accredited Conformity

Assessment Bodies (CAB):
Farms that seek ASC certification hire a CAB (conformity assessment body)
that has been accredited by Accreditation Services International GmbH.
(ASI). ASI is based in Bonn, Germany and also provides accreditation
services to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Marine Stewardship
Council (MSC).

3. MSC Chain of Custody Certification and the ASC logo:

The ASC logo has been developed for use by certified and licensed farms,
processors and distributors so that all parts of the value chain and
especially consumers can easily identify ASC certified product(s).

ASC logo is owned by ASC which regulates all aspects of its use.

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7 Principles of ASC Certification for Shrimp farming

• Comply with all applicable national and local laws and regulations
1
• Site farms in environmentally suitable locations while conserving
2 biodivirsity and important natural ecosystems

• Develop and operate farms with consideration for surrounding

3 communities

• Operate farms with responsible practices

4
• Manage shrimp health and welfare in a responsible manner
5
• Manage broodstock origin, stock selection and effects of stock
6 management

• Use resources in an environmentally efficient and responsible manner

7
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PRINCIPLE 1: COMPLY WITH ALL APPLICABLE NATIONAL AND
LOCAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS

Criterion 1.1: Documented compliance with local and national

legal requirements

INDICATOR REQUIREMENT

1.1.1 Compliance with local and Proofs of permits or other relevant

national laws or regulations documentation available for farming
1.1.2 Transparency on legal compliance Government‐issued operational
permits and licenses are publicly
available one month after request

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PRINCIPLE 2: SITE FARMS IN ENVIRONMENTALLY SUITABLE
LOCATIONS WHILE CONSERVING BIODIVIRSITY AND IMPORTANT
NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS
Impact: Inappropriate and unplanned siting of shrimp farms has the
potential to result in production failures, ecological degradation, land use
conflicts and social injustice.

• Consideration of habitats critical for endangered species

2.1

• Conservation of protected areas or critical habitats

2.2

• Conservation of habitats critical for endangered species

2.3

• Ecological buffers, barriers and corridors

2.4

• Prevention of salinization of freshwater and soil resources

2.5
PRINCIPLE 3: DEVELOP AND OPERATE FARMS WITH CONSIDERATION
FOR SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES
Impact: Although shrimp farms are often the economic backbone of local
communities, they can also have a negative impact on local communities,
such as reducing public access to land and water resources and
jeopardizing livelihoods.

• All impacts on surrounding communities, ecosystem users and land

owners are accounted for and are, or will be, negotiated in an open
3.1 and accountable manner

• Complaints by affected stakeholders are being resolved

3.2

• Transparency in providing employment opportunities within local

3.3 communities

• Contract farming arrangements (if practiced) are fair and transparent

3.4 to the contract farmer
4. OPERATE FARMS WITH RESPONSIBLE PRACTICES

4.1 • Child labour and young workers

4.2 • Forced, bonded compulsory labour

4.3 • Discrimination in the work environment

4.4 • Work environment health and safety

4.5 • Minimum and fair wages or “decent wages”

• Harassment and disciplinary practices in the working environment causing
4.6 temporary or permanent physical mental harm

4.7 • Access to freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining

4.8 • Overtime compensation and working hours

4.9 • Worker contracts are fair and transparent

4.10 • Fair and transparent worker management systems

• Living conditions for workers accommodated on the farm
4.11
PRINCIPLE 5: MANAGE SHRIMP HEALTH AND WELFARE IN A
RESPONSIBLE MANNER
Impact: The culture of shrimp under stressful conditions can lead to the
transfer of pathogens or the amplification of pathogens in the receiving
waters. Additionally, heavy reliance on the use of therapeutic chemicals at
shrimp aquaculture facilities can not only cause pollution but can also
stimulate and/or introduce antibiotic resistant bacteria into the receiving
waters, potentially having a negative effect on the local ecosystem.

• Disease prevention
5.1

• Predator control
5.2

• Disease management and treatment

5.3

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PRINCIPLE 6: MANAGE BROODSTOCK ORIGIN, STOCK
SELECTION AND EFFECTS OF STOCK MANAGEMENT
Impact: Shrimp farming can have negative impacts on wild shrimp
populations and the environment due to the collection of wild shrimp
as post larvae and broodstock, and the introduction and escapes of
non‐native shrimp species or of genetically distinct native species.

• Presence of exotic or introduced shrimp species

6.1

• Origin of post larvae or broodstock

6.2

• Transgenic shrimp
6.3

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PRINCIPLE 7: USE RESOURCES IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY EFFICIENT
AND RESPONSIBLE MANNER
Impact: The culture of shrimp often requires the intensive use of resources. The
use of wild‐caught (e.g., pelagic fish) and terrestrially farmed ingredients (e.g., soy)
in shrimp feeds has a potentially negative impact on marine and terrestrial
ecosystems. Energy use also requires specific attention. This principle not only
addresses the origin of those resources but also seeks to improve the overall
efficiency of the production system and ensure that wastes are treated properly so
that effluent has a limited impact.

7.1 • Traceability of raw materials in feed

7.2 • Origin of aquatic and terrestrial feed ingredients

7.3 • Use of genetically modified (GM) ingredients in feed Value Statement

7.4 • Efficient use of wild fish for fishmeal or oil

7.5 • Effluent contaminant load

7.6 • Energy efficiency

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Thank you