Washington D.C., U.S.A.-based Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) – a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of farm animals raised for food production – is launching its Certified Humane credential specifically for farmed salmon.
The certification scheme, which is the organization's first standard it has developed for fish or seafood, will initially be targeted at Chilean producers, according to Humane Farm Animal Care Global Programs Director Luiz Mazzon.
“The animal welfare standard that we will soon launch is for farmed Atlantic salmon; therefore, it is focused in Chile – the only country in the [Latin American] region with this kind of production,” Mazzon told SeafoodSource. “Other salmon-producing countries such as Canada or Australia can also apply for certification if they wish."
The official launch of the certification will occur during the Aquasur 2024 international conference, taking place 19 to 21 March in Puerto Montt, Chile. The conference is billed as the largest aquaculture trade fair in the Southern Hemisphere.
According to HFAC, the main objectives of the Certified Humane program are to improve the lives of animals in the food production industry, make the public and farm producers aware of the existence of animal welfare best practices, help producers adopt production practices that consider greater animal welfare, and achieve maximum credibility in animal welfare standards, as well as inspection and certification processes.
Criteria that farms need to meet to attain the certification include guaranteeing their animals can express their natural behaviors and are fed a high-quality diet that excludes the use of sub-therapeutic antibiotics or growth enhancers. Those responsible for farm operations must also undergo animal welfare training.
According to Mazzon, the work to bring about this new certification began in 2022. Since Chile is the second-largest salmon producer globally, behind Norway, and exports to large markets such as the U.S., where many consumers demand guarantees of humane animal treatment, HFAC saw an opportunity in Chile to introduce a renowned animal welfare certification into the salmon industry.
HFAC began its work by studying salmon aquaculture in Scotland, which it called "a world reference for salmon welfare certification." It then launched a pilot project in collaboration with Cermaq Chile in 2023, learning about critical welfare points for Atlantic salmon at the company’s fish farms and seawater grow-out centers in the Magallanes and Los Lagos regions.
HFAC adapted its existing guidelines for land animals when considering salmon welfare, including farm infrastructure, pen density, and water quality, as well as some of the processes fish experience throughout their lives, including vaccinations, anti-caligus baths, weighing, transfer, and slaughter. The certification requires audits on all the locations at which fish are present – such as farms, grow-out centers, wellboats, and processing plants – as well as services provided by third parties, such as transportation.
“Animal welfare certification, especially when it comes to salmon, is somewhat new [in Latin America], but in regions like the U.K., it has been consolidated for years and is a prerequisite to accessing main sales channels,” Mazzon told SalmonExpert. “We believe that the same thing could happen with Chilean salmon. There is a lot of misinformation about the salmon farming industry in general, with many criticisms about the impact it generates. An animal welfare certification with an international organization recognized for its rigid certification criteria will surely help companies that meet the requirements to improve their image.”
HFAC’s Certified Humane standard for farmed Atlantic salmon farming will join the ranks of others that aim to establish animal welfare standards, norms, and certifications in salmon farming, such as Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), Best Aquaculture Practices, (BAP), the Code of Good Practice (CoGP) in Scotland, the U.K.’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), Norway’s FISHWELL welfare indicator for salmon and trout, and Chile’s Pincoy Project, which seeks to encourage a decrease the use of antibiotics in the salmon sector.
During Aquasur 2024, besides the launch of the HFAC certification, Salmonexpert and event organizer FISA will also present the “Happy Salmon” animal welfare award, which seeks to recognize a technology, solution, or innovation that has demonstrated – with science-based indicators – that it improves the well-being of fish.
Photo courtesy of DFLC Prints
