What is GlobalGAP’s level of engagement with both GAA and ASC since the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2013? What has the information sharing process done for aquaculture?
Our board members — who are elected by our member organizations for a four-year term — wish to see much more harmonization, and are rather impatient looking at the little progress being made after signing the MoU with GAA and ASC. We have tried bilateral agreements and project collaboration with both of them as well, and are now working with a triangular agreement. Have any of these efforts resulted in any real-term cost reduction in the industry? It is hard to see from my perspective. But I am optimistic that for the aquaculture feed sector, we might all be at a stage where we can convince the other committees and boards about the win-win of true collaboration.
To speed up the necessary process for more transparency and harmonization, we need to get the public sector involved. Among others, ministries of fisheries have to come on board as well as the [United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization]. And to address the issue of global food security, we need to involve all agriculture, not just seafood, in the developing and developed word. Jointly with the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform and The International trade Center ITC we, therefore, have initiated the “Declaration of Abu Dhabi for Global Food Security through Good Agricultural Practices.” One important feature of that collaborative initiative is to introduce a single “open source standard” for aquaculture hosted at the United Nations. After the successful launch with 38 founding
