© Marine Harvest

Presented at

‘The UK Aquaculture Forum ’

Scotland House, Brussels.

Dr. Philip Smith,

7 October 2010

.

‘The development of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council’

Agenda:● Why we need the ASC● The ‘Dialogue’ Process● Driving change through

market transformation● Adding Value........

© Marine Harvest

‘The development of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council’

Creating Change on the Water

•An independent, not for profit organisation, co-founded in 2009 by WWF and IDH (Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative) to manage the global standards for responsible aquaculture, which are under development by the Aquaculture Dialogues. 

© Regal Springs Tilapia

• Rainforest Marketing – 1980s • Forest Stewardship Council – 1990s • Marine Stewardship Council – 1990s • Marine Aquarium Council – 1990s • Protected Harvest – 2000 • Climate Savers - 2000s • New Program for IT Industry – 2007 • Aquaculture Dialogues – 2000s

Aquaculture Dialogues – a WWF initiative

‘to accelerate & upscale sustainable trade in mainstream markets’

A ‘multi-stakeholder platform founded by the Dutch Government in 2008

•EUROPEAN COMMISION Environment fact sheet

• The way we produce, use and dispose of goods is unsustainable and is rapidly depleting our planet’s natural resources.•Governments, businesses and individual citizens need to take action in order to create more sustainable societies.

Sustainable consumption and production – a challenge for us all

Jason Clay WWF

If current patterns of consumption continue, it is estimated that global resource use would quadruple within 20 years !!

“I believe that today companies must post healthy economic results while acting responsibly, on both a social and environmental level. In my view, this ensures sustainable growth.

Our customers seek quality products at a fair price which comply with the highest social and environmental criteria”

Lars Olofsson, CEO, Carrefour. Group Carrefour - 2008 Sustainability Report

“Our mission of ‘saving people money so they can live better’ starts with low prices…but it doesn’t end there. It extends to being a leader in how we take care of our world.” Mike Duke, President & CEO, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Sustainability Summit, October 22, 2008

“ We launched Plan A in January 2007 – ‘committing to change 100 things over five years – because we’ve only got one world and time is running out’.” We're calling it Plan A because we believe it's now the only way to do business. Sir Stuart Rose, Executive Chairman, Marks & Spencer

http://plana.marksandspencer.com/media/pdf/planA-2010.pdf

… and clearly ‘a value issue’ for CEO’s and their shareholders

…and there is a financial risk also for banks to engage with non sustainable business

which also translates to a value issue

Daniela Mariuzzo, CSR Manager, Rabobank Brasil RETAIL, FINANCE AND THE FUTURE OF FOOD London, 28 April 2010

http://www.future-of-food.com/events/london

The importance of aquaculture

● The fastest-growing food production system● About half the seafood consumed comes from

aquaculture now● Population and economic growth will lead to

increased demand● Global catches of fish have been and are

expected to remain stagnant● Important for food security

We need aquaculture.

It is an efficient way to produce desirable, high quality protein food and will be a major contributor to improving food security

Commercial fish stocks worldwide are fully exploited

• Habitat conversion• Antibiotic & chemical use• Benthic biodiversity

• Escapes• Social & labour issues • Feed resource impacts

As the scale and scope of global aquaculture continues to expand, so does the industry’s footprint on environment and society that includes:

Aquaculture’s footprint on the environment & society

•Chemical cocktail in farmed flesh

•Atlantic salmon in BC waters, like exotic species around the world, are 'Super-un-Natural’.

•BBC – ”Warnings from the wild”

•Is this fish or is this foul?

Power of the PressPerceptions – Realities?

The Aquaculture Disaster-

Third World communities fight the'Blue Revolution'SHRIMP aquaculture, hailed as a promising export earner, is

causing social and environmental havoc in many Third World

countries, mainly in Asia.

http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/aqua-ch.htm

Power of ‘Social Networking’

Powerful media for the voice of ‘civil society’

The Five Fundamental Flaws of Sea Cage Fish FarmingThe sea cage farming of carnivorous finfish such as salmon, tuna, cod and sablefish is fundamentally flawed in five ways:

•the wastes produced by farming

•the fish that escape

•the diseases and parasites that occur in farms

•the chemicals used to treat diseased fish

•the problems of stock depletion and contamination of feed.

http://www.focs.ca/fishfarming/index.asp

"The perception you earn among the public does not necessarily give the objective truth about our business, but it is nonetheless our responsibility. It is vitally important to fill any such gaps, that includes not only perception gaps, but more importantly the quality gaps. A bad industry reputation may have serious consequences for our industry”

Thomas Farstad, acting CEO Marine Harvest,

Aquavision, Stavanger, 2010

http://www.aquavision.org/index.cfm?id=298560

Reputation Management

© Marine Harvest

Aquaculture Dialogues – a WWF initiative

http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/globalmarkets/aquaculture/aquaculturedialogues.html

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council aims to address these issues through the implementation of the ‘aquaculture dialogue standard’s.

•…. a programme of multi-stakeholder ‘roundtables’ coordinated by WWF to derive standards for environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture.

Aquaculture Dialogues

http://www.worldwildlife.org/aquadialoguesInitiated and coordinated by WWF

Effective – minimizes the environmental and social footprint of commercial

aquaculture by addressing key

impactsAdds value – connects the

farm to the marketplace by

promoting responsible practices

through a consumer (eco)label .

The Aquaculture Dialogue Process

Credible – multi stakeholder, open and transparent, science

based performance metrics

5+ years in the making, 2000+ stakeholders,

ASC

Comms

Multi- Stakeholder Governance

Structure

Robust Verification

System

ISEAL

Dialogues

Standards

Areas of Focus•Independent

•Processes

• Robust, 3rd party

• Certification of aquaculture operations

• CoC certific- ation

• Multi-stakeholder

• Review & revise standards & procedures

The ASC will offer farm level annual certification, using accredited, third-party Certification Bodies that are ISO 65 compliant and a seafood (eco) label which will recognise and reward responsible aquaculture

3rd Party Certification

© British Trout Association

© Regal Springs Tilapia

© Anova Seafood

Communication

Funding

• Governance

Structure

• Accreditation

& Certification

• Producers

& Suppliers• Processors,

Retail & FS

ASC ISEAL

The ASC’s areas of focus

BUILD CAPACITY

•Raise producer awareness

• Build capacity: producer support programmes

CREATE DEMAND

•Raise industry commitment

• Develop con- sumer interest

The ASC is more than a standards holding body, it is a global transformation system

for aquaculture

Jason ClaySenior Vice President Market Transformations of the World Wildlife FundRETAIL, FINANCE AND THE FUTURE OF FOOD London, 28 April 2010

http://www.future-of-food.com/events/london

Industry support for the ASC

Increasingly, retailers, food service companies and seafood processors believe that they have a responsibility to supply consumers with fish from responsibly managed resources, fisheries and aquaculture.

Complementary to:

The ASC (eco)label will give consumers an easy way to make the best environmental and social choice when shopping or dining out.

“The standard setting process for new species such as shrimp, tilapia, and pangasius has gone further than ever before in reaching out through a transparent, multi-stakeholder approach,” Aldin Hilbrands of Royal Ahold

An open and transparent, multi-stakeholder approach gives the ASC

standards credibility

“the most wide public consultation on standards development in fish farming ever”.

Peter Hajipieris of Birds Eye Iglo

“with the ASC in place, we will have the assurance that the standards will be adhered to properly, which will bring credibility and longevity to the standards.” Sysco Corporation

Martin Glenn, Birds Eye Iglo CEO said ‘Sustainability’ is not an option. Sustainable sourcing underpins ‘ Fish the Brand’. BEIG is the largest branded supporter of MSC programme across Europe by volume. ‘Fish the Brand’ – controlling our own destiny, Brussels Seafood Expo 2010 – Business Leaders Speech

Chris Britton, Findus Group CEO, said:“MSC is currently the only international consumer-facing label for sustainable seafood and now has sufficient scale that it is realistic for us to strengthen our own brands by using it for all our wild caught purchases.”26/04/2010Findus Group boosts 'Fish for Life' programme with new MSC goal

….and will build brand equity.

Findus Group endorses progress towards a consumer facing sustainability marque for farmed fish through the establishment of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.

Birds Eye Iglo is working with the Aquaculture Stewardship Council to adopt the Aquaculture Dialogue Standards for certifications by the ASC

• Building Capacity

• Creating Market Demand

•ASC

•Chain of Custody•Consumer Label

•Mid•2011

Areas of Focus Mid 2011

© Unima Europe SAM

© Unima Europe SAM

Some people will only see costs –others will see opportunities.

Sustainable growth without increased responsibility is not an option.

Implementing processes to meet standards will improve performance by:

minimising health issues.

improving the environment.

maximising feed efficiency.

managing feed resources well and providing alternatives reduces cost volatility.

measuring, monitoring, recording - better control.

driving for innovative technological solutions.

....best practices leading to reduced cost = added value

• With better use of our planets resources our industry can

make a real contribution to society and value to mankind.• Sustainable growth depends on increased responsibility. • Shareholder value – reputation & risk management• Credible standards and labelling builds consumer

trust which in turn contributes to brand value• Tangible cost benefits from implementation of best

management practices associated with voluntary standards• Reduced volatility – reducing supply/demand imbalances

will have positive impact.• Retention of markets, access to markets.

‘Adding value with well defined environmental and social standards‘.

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council

Our vision:● A world where

aquaculture plays a major role in supplying food and social benefits for mankind without negatively impacting the environment.

Our mission:● To transform aquaculture

towards environmental and social sustainability using efficient market mechanisms which create value across the chain.

The ASC: Creating change on the water.

http://www.ascworldwide.org

© Brian O’Hanlon, Open Blue Sea Farms