Posted on 25 November
2009 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – Global sustainability
standards governing Asian catfish farming
- also known as pangasius, tra or basa
farming - are in the final stage of development,
and will assure that this fast growing industry
addresses environmental and social impacts
such as water pollution, and poor fish health
management, and feeding practices.
This month, the public
comment period began for the Pangasius Aquaculture
Dialogue (PAD) draft standards, marking
the final step before the standards are
finalized.
They will address the
key environmental and social impacts associated
with pangasius farming, an industry whose
production has doubled to 1.1 million tons
in a few years.
Aquaculture is the fastest
growing food production system in the world.
The industry has grown at a steady 8-10
percent during the past 30 years, and this
is expected to continue. When finalized,
the standards will be given to a new organization,
to be co-founded by WWF, that will be responsible
for working with independent, third party
entities to certify farms that are in compliance
with the standards.
Feedback received during
the 60-day public comment period will be
used by the PAD’s participants to finalize
the standards in the first quarter of 2010.
The process began in 2007 and includes more
than 400 producers, conservationists, government
officials, academics and others interested
in pangasius farming.
“We welcome feedback
because we know that tapping into the experiences
and expertise of a broad and diverse group
of people will make the standards more robust,”
said Dr. Flavio Corsin of WWF, who coordinates
the PAD. “I am confident that, because of
the open and transparent process we use,
the final standards will help transform
the pangasius farming industry.”
Significant changes
have been made to the PAD standards as a
result of the input received from 140 people
during the first public comment period,
discussions at the PAD meeting held in Vietnam
in August, and meetings with small-scale
pangasius farmers in Vietnam and Bangladesh.
The process used by
the PAD and the seven other Aquaculture
Dialogues is the only one for aquaculture
standard-setting that is in compliance with
the International Social and Environmental
Accreditation and Labeling Alliance’s guidelines
for creating environmental and social standards.
Other changes made to
the pangasius standards based on input received
include prohibiting the conversion of natural
resources for pangasius farming, banning
all antibiotics listed by the World Health
Organization as critical antibiotics for
human health, and assessing the quality
of receiving waters (not just what water
comes into and goes out of the farm).
Most of the standards
will be metrics-based, which is the only
way to effectively know whether the industry’s
impact on the environment is reduced. The
standards will also be performance-based,
thereby encouraging innovation at the farm
level.
The PAD standards will
be given to the Aquaculture Stewardship
Council (ASC) to manage when that entity
is in operation. WWF announced in January
that it is going to help create the ASC,
which will be responsible for working with
independent, third party entities to certify
farms that are in compliance with the standards
being created by participants of the Aquaculture
Dialogues.
