First bass and bream farms win ASC approval
FOUR farms in Turkey and Greece have become the first in the world to be certified to the ASC’s new sea bass, sea bream, and meagre standard.
Two farms operated by Nireus in Greece and two operated by Sursan in Turkey achieved certification at the same time on June 5.
The ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) expanded its programme in response to demand.
The species have traditionally been enjoyed by consumers in European markets, but production has grown in Turkey and Greece to meet rising world demand.
The ASC said the response from producers to its new standard had been enthusiastic, with farms scheduling audits from the first day the certification become available.
The audits and certification for the first four farms to win approval were carried out by Acoura. Nearly 30 additional farms in Turkey, Greece, Spain, Croatia and Albania underwent audits in the weeks after the standard went live.
Antonis Chachlakis, chariman and CEO of Nireus, said: ‘Nireus is very proud to be a pioneer in the responsible growth of aquaculture, according to ASC’s new standard.’
Kerem Göksel, sales director at Sursan, added: ‘We are already experiencing demand for ASC certified sea bass and sea bream from our customers which shows their appreciation for the commitments we’ve made.’
Chris Ninnes, CEO of the ASC, said: ‘We’re delighted to see such a positive response to the standard. It’s gratifying that the first farms certified to this new standard are in Turkey and Greece, important centres of production for these increasingly popular species.
‘Demand for sea bass, sea bream and meagre is rising, and it’s important that farms act responsibly as production expands.’