Seafarm B.V. a recirculation turbot farm located in Zeeland, the Netherlands, has become the first aquaculture facility in the world to achieve certification against the new Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) Flatfish Standard.
While turbot farming generally occurs either at sea or in pond systems, Seafarm B.V. adopts a unique approach. Its innovative recirculating aquaculture system places a strong emphasis on energy efficiency, animal welfare and environmentally friendly practices.
ASC certification demonstrates Seafarm’s ongoing commitment to sustainable and responsible aquaculture practices. We would like to thank the management of Seafarm B.V. for choosing SGS as their independent certifier and to congratulate them on obtaining their ASC Farm Certification
What is ASC Farm Certification?
ASC is one of the leading social and environmental sustainability standards for seafood, with ASC certified products sold in over 90 countries and in roughly 20,000 product forms. The ASC standards for responsible aquaculture promote the latest industry best practices. Their metric and performance based standards apply globally to farming systems covering a range of locations, production types and scales of operations.
Benefits of ASC Farm Certification
The ASC Farm Standards are currently available for 17 species groups. They allow aquaculture companies to:
- Demonstrate that their organization minimizes environmental impacts and maintains the highest level of social responsibility when producing seafood products
- Meet the requirements of global retailers who require their seafood sources to be ASC certified
The ASC Flatfish Standard, released in June 2019, is one of the newest additions to the suite of ASC Farm Standards. It allows aquaculture companies farming flounder, halibut or turbot to obtain ASC Farm Certification.
"Receiving the ASC certificate for our ecologic fish farm justifies the philosophy that we’ve adopted for many years here at Seafarm," says Adri Bout, founder of Seafarm and inventor of the full-circle method of fish farming, which prioritizes fish wellbeing above all else. "I have always believed that a happy fish is a healthy fish. We go to great lengths to ensure the animals’ wellbeing – for example, we never feed them any antibiotics. We are delighted that ASC recognizes our innovative approach, as this means that our fish will be finding their way to consumers and wholesalers more easily."
About Seafarm
Seafarm is located within the Oosterschelde National Park. It is owned by father and son, Adri and Dave Bout, who developed the state-of-the-art Love Green fish farming technology for turbot. This includes automated farming protocols that form part of a super-intensive Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS). This system guarantees optimal animal wellbeing and health while also saving 40% on operational expenses.
Visit our website to learn more about ASC certification.
For further information please contact:
Nikki den Boon
SGS Program Manager ASC
t:+31 (0)6 113 347 31
