The BAP certification scheme has achieved special recognition from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Aquaculture certification programme wins UN special recognition award

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The United States-based Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) and its Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) accreditation programme have achieved special recognition from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), GSA has announced.

In the UK, salmon farmer Bakkafrost Scotland has 35 fish farms with BAP certification, and Wester Ross Fisheries, now owned by Mowi, has two.

GSA and BAP were awarded a certificate at the Global Technical Recognition Ceremony in Rome on Wednesday. They were selected for recognition in the area of sustainable aquatic food systems, which showcases technical leadership collaboration and innovation in sustainable agrifood systems transformation.

Four 'betters'

Recognition is aligned with FAO’s four ‘betters’ – better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life – and reflects the World Food Day theme (“hand in hand for better foods and a better future”). 

This week marks FAO’s World Food Forum week and celebrates both FAO’s 80th anniversary and the 30th anniversary of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. 

National, regional and local administrations, research and development institutions, the private sector, civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations that have made a meaningful impact on the sustainable and responsible development of fisheries and aquaculture are eligible to receive recognition. 

Mollusc standard

Meanwhile, the BAP Mollusc Farm Standard Issue 2.0 is now available for public comment, the GSA has announced. The 60-day public comment period ends on Monday, December 15.

Issue 2.0 has been modified from the previous issue 1.2. The changes made include:

  • New links and updated resources for all additional information sections
  • Revised and increased the requirements in the Social Accountability section to conform to other current BAP standards
  • Reorganised the Environment Responsibility section for clarity and updated it to reflect advanced understanding and tools for measuring carrying capacity and environmental interactions
  • Modified approach to Animal Welfare to conform to other current BAP standards, modelling BAP’s four pillars of accountability and traceability.

GSA said all public comments received during the public comment period are carefully considered for inclusion in the final draft. All properly submitted comments and GSA’s response will be public, however the author will be anonymous. To comment, please download this form and email it to David Dietz at David.dietz@globalseafood.org.

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