WWF and GLOBALGAP Partner on Certification

The Global Aquaculture Alliance Says, You Call That “One-Stop”

GLOBALGAP, a private sector organization that sets voluntary standards for the certification of agricultural products, focuses on food safety, animal welfare and environmental and social sustainability.  It has forged a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to certify shrimp farms.  WWF is the largest multinational conservation organization in the world, working in 100 countries and supported by 1.2 million members in the United States and close to five million globally.

“We are thrilled that GLOBALGAP will offer a voluntary add-on module to its existing standards,” said WWF-US Aquaculture Program Managing Director Jose Villalon.  “The Dialogue standards will add value to the GLOBALGAP program because they are metrics-based, which is the best way to accurately measure if aquaculture’s impacts on the environment are minimized.”  The Dialogue standards are being created by consensus through an open and transparent process that involves a broad and diverse group of stakeholders.  The first set of standards—for tilapia—is expected to be completed in September 2009.  Standards for shrimp and ten additional species will be finalized in 2010.

“This move is a win for producers because it will help streamline the certification process for them by offering a ‘one-stop shop’ audit using the high integrity of the GLOBALGAP system to provide an efficient and cost effective certification process,” said GLOBALGAP Chairman Nigel Garbutt.  “It’s also a win for retailers who would like to see a harmonization of the various certification programs on the market.  This partnership is significantly different from other partnerships because robust, but separate, standards are being offered in combination with each other.”

The WWF/GLOBALGAP partnership, formalized in a memorandum of understanding signed June 24, 2009, is a means to certify producers prior to the creation of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) in 2011.  The ASC, a new independent organization, will be responsible for working with third-party entities to certify farms that are in compliance with the Dialogue standards.  WWF and several other entities, including the Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative, are taking the lead in creating the ASC.

At the time of the establishment of the ASC, the boards of ASC and GLOBALGAP will assess whether and how to continue the partnership, which is non-exclusive, meaning that other entities could certify producers who adopt the standards prior to the start-up of the ASC, as long as those entities meet the criteria for standards-holding entities established by WWF.  All certification prior to the creation of the ASC will be business-to-business.  The ASC certification will be business-to-consumer by providing a consumer label.

As part of this partnership, WWF will work with GLOBALGAP to create checklists, guidance documents and training materials for auditors who will certify aquaculture producers.

Information: Jose Villalon, World Wildlife Fund, 1250 24th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037-1193 (phone 1-202-778-9625, email jose.villalon@wwfus.org, webpage http://www.wwf.org).

Information: Dr. Kristian Moeller, Managing Director, GLOBALGAP, c/o FoodPLUS GmbH, Spichernstr. 55, 50672 Koeln, Germany HRB 35211 (phone +49-0-2-21-5-79-93-82, fax +49-0-2-21-5-79-93-82-89, email meifert@globalgap.org, webpage http://www.globalgap.org).

GAA’s Response

As the global leader in the development of science-based aquaculture standards, the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), through its Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) program, has been advocating responsible aquaculture for more than a decade.  Indeed, during the last seven years, GAA has led the way in the creation of science-based standards.

The BAP facility certification program is the only comprehensive certification system available today that includes all of the key components of responsible aquaculture.  In many respects, the BAP program has become the standard for the whole supply chain—including retailers and foodservice operators who want a comprehensive approach that covers the environment, social responsibility, animal welfare, food safety and traceability.

It’s from this standpoint that we view the recently announced alliance between GLOBALGAP and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which—at some point in the future—will offer the existing GLOBALGAP standard with an optional, yet-to-be-defined, WWF “add-on”.  The announcement of this alliance follows an earlier announcement linking WWF with the SQF (Safe Quality Food) program.

GAA’s work with retailers has shown that they want the “one-stop shop” that BAP provides—not an approach of having to patch together various programs that cover only a portion of what BAP offers.  BAP offers the following advantages:

1. BAP standards are science-based.  They include metrics, particularly for environmental impacts.  They cover farms, hatcheries and processing plants, and will soon be complemented by feed mill standards.  No other certification scheme is this comprehensive.

2. The certification process, which assures that aquaculture facilities comply with BAP standards, is managed by the highly respected Aquaculture Certification Council (ACC).  The ACC draws on a pool of highly experienced aquaculture auditors, all of whom have been specially trained.  To strengthen the independence of the auditing process even further, ACC is starting to delegate this task to ISO 65-compliant bodies, with the first shrimp farm to be inspected via this process in July.

3. The BAP program has already certified more shrimp, tilapia and catfish than any other system, and it will soon have standards for pangasius (a catfish) and salmon, as well.  The BAP program goes beyond standard setting.  Only BAP offers educational and training programs to help government agencies and small producers in developing countries improve their practices.  In recognition of the quality of the program, BAP has been selected by the USA Food and Drug Administration to participate in its food safety pilot program on shrimp imports.  In addition, the BAP standards and certification system have recently filed for benchmarking with the Global Food Safety Initiative.

From the beginning, GAA has made the decision to work with all industry stakeholders to bring responsible aquaculture development to as many producers as possible.  To do this, it has created standards that are rigorous and comprehensive, along with a system to certify compliance using independent, experienced and fully credentialed auditors.

Above and beyond these facts, however, we also know that the needs of the marketplace are constantly evolving.  What we believe today is that the whole supply chain—and in particular those businesses that have direct contact with the consumer—is seeking one credible and comprehensive standard.

The supply chain seeks a single program that not only covers it all, but says it all: environment, social responsibility, animal welfare, food safety and traceability.  Only one program—the BAP program—represents the most rigorous standards for aquaculture based on science and metrics.

Information: Wally Stevens, GAA Executive Director, Global Aquaculture Alliance, 5661 Telegraph Road, Suite 3-A, St. Louis, Missouri 63129, USA (phone 1-314-293-5500, fax 1-314-293-5525, email wallys@gaalliance.org, webpage http://www.gaalliance.org).

Sources: 1. World Wildlife Fund.  News Release/World Wildlife Fund and GLOBALGAP Partner on Aquaculture Dialogue Standards.  Jill Schwartz (email Jill.Schwartz@WWFUS.ORG), Senior Communications Officer.  June 24, 2009.  2. The Global Aquaculture Alliance.  News Release.  GAA Statement on WWF-GLOBALGAP Linkage/Ahead of the Pack: Best Aquaculture Practices Meet the Needs of the Marketplace Today.  Wally Stevens, GAA Executive Director.  June 30, 2009.

Country Reports

Australia

Sea Farm Manager Wins Scholarship to Study Shrimp Processing in EU and USA

Anni Conn, business manager at Seafarm, one of the largest shrimp farms in Australia, has received a $6,000 scholarship, jointly sponsored by Australia’s Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and the Women’s Industry Network Seafood Community, to tour and study shrimp processors in Europe and the United States.

Conn said: “I am planning to visit some of the leading European and USA supermarkets to look at how they are presenting their seafood, and then to follow the processing and marketing back through the supply chain, which I hope will give me some ideas about the kind of processing and marketing options that might work in Australia.”

Her tour will include state-of-the-art, fully automated prawn processing plants in Europe, such as those operated by Lyons Seafoods in the UK, Heiploeg in Holland and Pescanova in Spain.

Source: FISH (Fisheries Research and Development Corporation News).  Tour to Take in World’s Best Prawn Processors.  Volume 17, Number 2, Page 21, June 2009.

Brazil

Genearch Aquacultura, a New Shrimp Genetics Company

Genearch Aquacultura, a new shrimp genetics company in Brazil, has been working for several years to develop specific pathogen free (SPF) lines of shrimp (Penaeus vannamei).

In crosses between imported SPF lines and local non-SPF lines, the offspring outperformed both parental lines.  Results of one of the crosses showed markedly superior performance for survival, harvest weight, weekly growth and tolerance of low oxygen levels!

Source: The Global Aquaculture Advocate.  Editor, Darryl Jory (dejry2525@aol.com).  Selective Breeding/Shrimp Hybrids Outperform Parents in Brazil Studies.  Joao L. Rocha, Ph.D. (email johnrocha@genearch.com.br), Ana Carolina Guerrellhas, B.S. (Genearch Aquacultura and Aquatec Barrado Cunhau, Rio Grande do Norte, CEP 59190, Brazil), Ana Karina Teixeira, B.S., Flávio Augusto Farias, B.S., and Ana Paula Teixeira, B.S.  Volume 12, Issue 3, Page 36, May/June 2009.

Ecuador

El Niño Heats Up

The USA Climate Prediction Center reports that an El Niño may be developing in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.

Source: Climate Prediction Center.  Weekly ENSO Update.  July 6, 2009.

India

Pokkalli Farming

In the state of Kerala, the Pokkalli variety of rice, said to be rich in protein, is rotated with shrimp in the coastal regions of Alleppey, Ernakulam and Thrissur.  From June to November, when heavy Monsoonal rains lower salinities, rice is farmed; and from mid-November to March, when the water turns brackish, shrimp are farmed.  Fertilizers, manure and plowing are not necessary.  Shrimp wastes fertilize the rice, and the rice stubble and the organisms growing on it become food for the shrimp.

To lure postlarvae from the Arabian Sea into their paddies, the farmers place burning hurricane lanterns by their sluice gates on high-tide nights.  Attracted by the light, the postlarvae flow into the paddies, where they feed and grow for four months.  Then, at low tide, the farmers harvest them by draining the pond through a net.

As a result of labor shortage and other problems, Pokkalli farming is being replaced with newer methods.

Source: Travel Kerala.  Pokkalli Farming in Coastal Kerala.  June 27, 2009.

Indonesia

Shrimp Exports Decline

Indonesia’s shrimp exports in the first quarter of 2009 fell by nine percent and, compared to 2008, are expected to be down for the full year.  Shrinking production and a surge in supply from other producing countries, particularly Thailand, are blamed for the decline.  Indonesia should have an opportunity to regain market share this winter when supplies from other major producing countries like Thailand, China and Vietnam drop sharply.

Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service).  Shrinking production and growing competition are likely to reduce Indonesia’s shrimp exports this year.  Ken Coons (phone 1-781-861-1441, email kencoons@seafood.com).  Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 1-781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com).  July 7, 2009.

Japan

Shrimp Imports Drop 6% in May 2009

In the first five months of 2009, Japan’s imports of shrimp and prawns were almost identical to those in the first five months of 2008; however, in May 2009, they dipped 6%.

Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service).  Japan seafood imports fall 10% in May, down 5% for year to date.  Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 1-781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com).  July 6, 2009.

Netherlands

Happy Shrimp Farm Fails

Happy Shrimp Farm, which grew western white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) in a greenhouse-enclosed, recirculation system, has gone out of business.

Source: Agri Holland.  Garnalenkwekerij Happy Shrimp Farm Failliet.  June 27, 2009.

Thailand

Shrimp Farmers Get Help from the Government on Prices

On July 1, 2009, the Thai government, responding to shrimp farmers requests, announced that it will spend $41 million on a new plan to purchase 10,000 metric tons of western white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei).  The Farmers Assistance Policy Committee approved the plan, which will be run by the Public Warehouse Organization from July 15 until September 30, 2009.  In addition to the $41 million for purchases, an additional $5.5 million will be allocated to run the program.

Farmers in southern Thailand had warned the government they would blockade roads if officials failed to take action to increase shrimp prices, which have been low since early 2009 due to slowing exports.  As a result, it is expected that shrimp exports will only reach 396,000 metric tons and production 400,000 tons in 2009, compared to last year’s exports of 495,000 tons.

The government will pay the following prices per kilogram for whole shrimp:

$4.55 for 40 count shrimp

$3.96 for 50 count shrimp

$3.67 for 60 count shrimp

$3.23 for 70 count shrimp

$2.93 for 80 count shrimp

In addition, the government will provide $35 million to the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Co-Operatives for signing contract orders with shrimp farmers for 30,000 tons of shrimp.

Source: FIS United States.  Shrimp farmers aid plan launched.  Natalia Real (editorial@fis.com).  July 6, 2009.

Thailand

Certification Program

The ASEAN Shrimp Alliance (ASA), founded by Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia in 2007, is developing a regional certification body that will set standards for the shrimp exports of its member countries.  The strategy behind the program is to mitigate and reduce bans and other problems originating from countries with restrictive standards.

Although the standards of export and import countries overlap at times, the various standards around the world cost shrimp farmers a lot of money, said Somying Piumsombun, general director of the Thai Fisheries Department.  “They have to change their production practices to comply with those standards, a move that erodes their export competitiveness,” she said.

Stricter standards set by importing countries are often veiled defensive measures designed to safeguard national seafood markets, as opposed to only being meant to protect consumers’ health, Somying said.

Source: FIS United States.  ASEAN Exporters Join to Improve Shrimp Standards.  Natalia Real (editorial@fis.com).  July 2, 2009.

United Kingdom

Wants to Import Shrimp From Ecuador

We want to import whole shrimp from Brazil or Ecuador, or anywhere else in Latin America, for distribution in the United Kingdom.  We are interested in all sizes of shrimp, particularly 16/20s, 30/40s and 40/60s.

Source: Emails from Mustaq Mohamad (mustaq@mandm-seafood.com) to Shrimp News International on June 30 and July 2, 2009.

United States

Maine—Orange Lobsters, Not For Sale

The Associated Press reports:

Two orange lobsters that look as though they’ve just emerged from a steamer pot are definitely alive and pinching in Maine.

Jeremy Mirick, co-owner of the lobster pound at the York Fitness Center in York, Maine, says the two orange lobsters in his tank aren’t for sale.

Officials at the New England Aquarium say orange lobsters are a one-in-30-million rarity, but they’ve had reports of 10 to 12 of them in late June and early July 2009.  The reason is unknown, though color variations are usually genetic.  Spokesman Tony LaCasse thinks the orange lobsters, which have shown up in Massachusetts and Maine, are coming from a Canadian distributor.

Source: Seafood.com (an online, subscription-based, fisheries news service).  More rare orange lobsters showing up in New England.  Ken Coons (1-781-861-1441, email kencoons@seafood.com.  Editor and Publisher, John Sackton (phone 1-781-861-1441, email jsackton@seafood.com).  July 6, 2009.

United States

Texas—Job, Bait Shrimp Production

The AgriLife Research Mariculture Laboratory in Flour Bluff, Texas, has a position open for a research assistant to work on the production of Atlantic white shrimp (Penaeus setiferus) for the live bait industry.

Salary: $1,200 a month, plus benefits.

Qualifications: Masters of Science degree, or equivalent.

Closing Date: August 31, 2009.

Information: Tzachi Samocha, Ph.D., Professor, Regents Fellow, Texas AgriLife, AgriLife Research Mariculture Laboratory, 4301 Waldron Road, Corpus Christi, TX 78418, USA (phone 1-361-937-2268, fax 1-361-937-6470, email t-samocha@tamu.edu, webpage http://ccag.tamu.edu/FlourBluff/flour.htm).

Source: AquaNic (The Aquaculture Network Information Center, a gateway to the world’s electronic aquaculture resources).  Jobs Directory in cooperation with the WAS Employment Service.  Search jobs.  M. Sc. or M. S. Research Assistantship.  July 12, 2009.

Vietnam

Prices Dropping, Farmers Getting Out of the Business

In 2009, due to high feed prices, disease and unfavorable weather conditions, the number of hectares dedicated to shrimp farming has decreased sharply when compared to 2008 figures.  The price of white shrimp [size not given] has fallen from $3.37 to $2.25 a kilo.  Some farmers are no longer stocking their ponds.  Seafood processing plants are operating at 30-40 percent of capacity due to the shortage of shrimp.

Source: VonNews.  Seafood Sector Faces Hard Times.  July 1, 2009.

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