The key sustainability issue regarding feed is the sustainable management of wild fisheries.
©Skretting
The salmon farming industry relies on marine raw material for feed, and consequently, has a very strong economic motive in ensuring that the fish stocks used for feed are sustainably managed.
Not only do we work to reduce the wild fish content in feed. We are also working with our feed suppliers to ensure that the fish used in fishmeal and fish oil production is responsibly sourced. We require that our supplies come from fisheries subject to scientifically set quotas that comply with the key elements of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. We do not use feed with ingredients from illegal, unreported or unregulated fisheries.
Certification standards an important step
Moving forward, we believe the introduction of credible certification standards is an important step in driving the fishmeal and fish oil producers towards a higher degree of sustainability and we will require our feed suppliers to source only certified traceable material as it becomes available.
The International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organisation’s Global Standard for Responsible Supply (IFFO RS) was launched in 2009 and the first certification was achieved by a Peruvian factory early in 2010.
Today, around 20% of global fishmeal production is IFFO RS certified, and we are optimistic about the future availability of certified fishmeal (also from other certifiers, such as MSC; the Marine Stewardship Council). In the future, we will report back on progress in this area in our sustainability reports.