New sustainability standard launched for feed producers

The ASC said the Standard is the result of years of development by a diverse group of experts comprising feed producers, retailers, NGOs, farmers, and other stakeholders.

It requires that feed plants meet strict environmental and social requirements; source ingredients from socially responsible suppliers; and use environmentally responsible raw materials.

Requirements on reporting of performance will also improve the transparency of the industry, reward environmental sustainability, and assist future research into responsible feed, the ASC said.

14-month lead time

The Standard will now enter a 14-month “effective period”, allowing auditors, feed manufacturers and their suppliers to familiarise themselves with the Standard and prepare for certification. The Standard will become effective in autumn 2022, when feed plants become eligible for certification. Farms will then have 24 months to switch to ASC compliant feed in order to continue meeting the ASC Farm Standards.

The ASC said the Netflix film Seaspiracy had prompted much debate about the impact of the marine ingredients used by fish farms. ASC’s Feed Standard makes clear that while certified mills must source increasing levels of environmentally sustainable ingredients, marine ingredients make up a minority of feed ingredients, with around 75% of global aquafeed ingredients derived from agriculture - crops like soy, wheat and rice. These have their own impacts, notably deforestation and land conversion, which are often overlooked.

ASC chief executive Chris Ninnes said: “Aquaculture is already providing over half of the seafood consumed around the world, livelihoods to millions of people, and without it we will not be able to achieve food security for a growing global population with a low carbon footprint.

“But this positive impact will be undone unless the feed used by the industry is sourced responsibly. ASC has spent the last decade incentivising producers to reduce the impacts of their farms, and now we’re spreading this approach to the wider supply chain.

Vital nutrients

“Marine ingredients play an important role providing vital nutrients to farmed fish, but like everything they must be used and sourced responsibly. Rather than driving substitution of one type of ingredient with another, the ASC Feed Standard recognises that all ingredients - marine and agricultural - can have benefits as well as impacts and must be addressed holistically.

“We know many producers and feed manufacturers are already taking this issue seriously, and we want to reward them and incentivise others to follow suit to tackle what could be the biggest threat to the industry’s reputation. This standard could not have been produced without the work and expertise of our multi-stakeholder Steering Committee and I’d like to thank them for their contribution to this important milestone for the wider industry.”

Socially responsible

As well as environmental sustainability, feed plants must also ensure they and their suppliers are socially responsible. For instance, independent auditors must verify that mills are not using forced or child labour, pay and treat their staff fairly, and must not discriminate on any grounds. They must also be responsible neighbours, communicating proactively with their local communities. Certified feed mills are required to conduct due diligence on their supply chains to adhere to these principles as well, ensuring an impact in areas where the risk of these issues are more prevalent.

ASC certified feed plants will also have to record and report their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions; and work to improve energy efficiency, use of renewables, and water usage.

The ASC said the Feed Standard’s improvement model offers an opportunity for feed plants to work with their fish meal and fish oil suppliers to meet the increasing requirements of the Standard over time.

Plant-based ingredients

For plant-based ingredients, as with marine based, feed plants will have to record and report all ingredients that make up over 1% of a feed and will need to take steps to ensure they have been sourced from supply chains with low risk for illegal deforestation.

Additionally, they will have to assess the risk of high-risk and high-volume ingredients contributing towards deforestation or land conversion and must commit and report publicly to transitioning to a supply chain free from these key negative impacts.

The ASC will be providing additional documents for auditors and feed plants to give clear guidance on how the standard should be implemented. The organisation is also working with feed plants to ensure these documents are appropriate in a practical setting, and looking at ways to make the audit process as efficient as possible.

Workshops will be also held for stakeholders to learn more and ask questions.