The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has extended the deadline for the mandatory transition to its new farm standard.
ASC launched the new standard at Seafood Expo Global (SEG) in 2025, and designed it to be a more consistent metric for aquaculture operations across the multiple species that ASC covers. ASC CEO Chris Ninnes told SeafoodSource during the 2026 SEG that the goal of the standard was to drive consistency across its certifications.
“We brought all of these species standards together when they were developed 15 to 20 years ago in isolation. Even though it was all coordinated, the species standards grew on their own in their own way, so they tackle issues in different ways,” he said.
The mandatory transition to that standard was originally scheduled for 1 May, 2027, but will be extended to 1 May, 2028.
ASC said its Farm Standard V1.1 is planned to be published in November 2026 following a governance and approval process, and an interim standard, V1.0.1A, will be effective from 1 July, 2026.
“The extended transition period provides greater flexibility for farmers while allowing ASC to continue strengthening guidance, tools and implementation support based on practical experience and stakeholder feedback,” ASC said of the transition.
The certification body said V1.0.1A is intended to serve as a bridge to V1.1 and temporarily pauses auditing against a “small number of requirements under review.”
"These decisions reflect our commitment to supporting successful adoption of the standard while maintaining its overall ambition and direction,” ASC Chief Technical Officer Ally Dingwall said of the change. "The extended transition period provides greater flexibility for farmers and allows us to continue developing the tools, guidance, and support needed to help farms transition successfully. We will keep working closely with farmers and auditors throughout this process to ensure they have the resources and assistance they need.”
ASC said that as implementation of the new standard progressed, it has found opportunities to improve “clarity, consistency, and implementation” of some of the requirements contained in standard V1.1
“In some cases, equivalent information is already captured through existing systems, processes, or assurance mechanisms. In others, implementation experience has highlighted opportunities to refine how requirements are applied in practice,” ASC said.
ASC Product Engagement Director Alison Hutchins said that the delay is in part thanks to feedback from some stakeholders, such as farmers and auditors, which is helping to refine the new standard to ensure it remains “effective, credible and capable of delivering meaningful environmental and social outcomes.”
Dingwall said some of that feedback has come in the form of mock audits for the first farms certified to the new standard, showing where improvements are possible.
"Implementing a new global standard is an ongoing process of learning and improvement,” Hutchins said. “Our focus is on giving farms the guidance and support they need to transition successfully."
