Marine Harvest Canada first in BC to achieve three-star salmon certification
According to a company release, the on-going pursuit of documentation by third parties that salmon farming is done in a sustainably fashion was recently given a boost;
The premier status was attained on July 3rd, 2013, when the company’s Port Hardy Processing facility was certified to the BAP Seafood Processing standard. The new certification complements the Salmon Farm and Feed Mill certification that Marine Harvest Canada (MHC) and its fish feed manufacturer, Skretting Canada, received in 2012 which "guarantees our customers a continuous supply of BAP three-star certified product" states MHC Sustainability Programs Director, Clare Backman. "Since the third-party audited BAP Seafood Processing standard meets Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) requirements, MHC customers are assured that product meets high food safety and quality standards," Backman says, "and because all BAP standards encompass social and environmental aspects, customers know that the salmon they receive is produced in a responsible and sustainable manner."
MHC's Port Hardy Processing Plant is located on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. This state-of-the-art facility processes more than 35,000 tonnes of high quality Atlantic farm-raised salmon products annually. Built in 2003, the plant is the newest fish processing facility in British Columbia. The plant is one of Port Hardy's largest employers, providing jobs for about 80 people. The final four-star status will become available to Marine Harvest Canada when the Hatchery standard is completed by BAP. The standard is expected to be available for salmon farmers in 2014. MHC’s future plans include certification of its Kitasoo processing facility located in Klemtu, BC.
The Global Aquaculture Alliance, the leading standards-setting organization for aquaculture seafood, is an international, non-profit trade association whose Best Aquaculture Practices program provides a comprehensive, metrics-based, third party certification for aquaculture facilities -- including farms, hatcheries, feed mills and processing plants. www.gaalliance.org.
