Global Trust Certification Ltd. on Wednesday said it was “stunned” to learn that the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) is questioning the integrity of the Food and Agriculture Organization-based Responsible Fisheries Management Certification program, especially after Global Trust formally invited the SFP to learn about the program on 4 February.
In a briefing on Wednesday, SFP cautioned that the Marine Stewardship Council program and the Responsible Fisheries Management Certification program are not equivalent certification schemes.
“We continue to extend an invitation to all groups to learn about the FAO-based program and ask parties not to make public judgments on the integrity of the FAO-based program based on remote website reviews,” said Global Trust CEO Peter Marshall.
“Through our invitation, Global Trust informed the SFP that the program had significantly developed from their last discussions in Vancouver 12 months beforehand. It appears that the SFP did not wish to fully engage with Global Trust prior to its statement, which is disappointing for all parties concerned and perhaps does not give retail partners an accurate or fully informed guidance,” continue Marshall.
“Global Trust welcomes benchmarking of the FAO-based Responsible Fisheries Management Certification when it is carried out through a formal process, through direct engagements and without an agenda based bias,” he added.
