Adjusting the deadline for meeting standards for aquaculture feed.

Newspaper photo: People in Kien Hai commune harvesting seafood. — Residents of Kien Hai commune ( Hai Phong city) harvesting seafood. Photo: Tien Dat

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has approved a significant change, giving aquaculture farms more time to meet aquaculture feed standards. This decision comes after the industry voiced concerns about the difficulties in sourcing ASC-certified feed.

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Processing and Export (VASEP), the feed standards officially applied by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council since 2023 serve as the basis for certifying aquaculture feed manufacturers and raw material suppliers that meet ASC standards. In February 2025, ASC extended the mandatory deadline for using certified feed from January to October 31, 2025.

However, ASC media representative Gaynyr Dickson recently stated that ASC has approved a new flexible measure. Accordingly, farms can be granted a one-time exemption to continue using uncertified feed after the October 31, 2025 deadline, subject to certain conditions. This exemption does not mean an extension of the deadline, but rather a mechanism for handling specific non-compliance situations with clear timelines.

For farms that achieve 75% compliance with ASC-certified feed sourcing, there will be an additional 18 months to achieve full compliance. Failure to do so will result in a Minor NC (non-compliance warning). If compliance is below 75% and no evidence of efforts to find certified suppliers is demonstrated, the farm will receive a Major NC (non-compliance warning). However, businesses may apply for an exemption, provided they demonstrate a scarcity of certified suppliers in the market, along with a commitment from the supplier to pursue ASC certification.

ASC media representative Gaynyr Dickson stated that the supply of standard feed is still insufficient to meet the needs of the entire aquaculture industry. This adjustment by ASC stems from the practical challenges existing in some species and geographic areas in complying with ASC's stringent requirements.

Currently, 35 aquaculture feed factories in 14 countries worldwide have been certified by ASC. In Vietnam, Grobest and Skretting are the first two companies to achieve certification, contributing to bringing Vietnam's aquaculture industry closer to sustainable development and transparency throughout the entire chain.

Vietnam is leading the world in developing ASC-certified aquaculture products, especially in two strategic products: shrimp and pangasius. Currently, all of the world's ASC-certified pangasius comes from Vietnam. This is vivid evidence of the quality and reputation of Vietnamese pangasius products in the global market, and also represents a strong transformation of the industry towards green and sustainable development.

PV (compiled)

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/dieu-chinh-thoi-han-dap-ung-tieu-chuan-ve-thuc-an-thuy-san-520607.html