Several supermarket chains in Europe, including Italy, Belgium, Spain, and France banned the sale of pangasius earlier this month, despite the EU insisting there were no health concerns with eating the fish.
European retailer Carrefour maintains that the quality of the fish is "impeccable", but that doubts remain over the environmental credentials of the farms in which they are raised.
The ASC said in a press release Wednesday that it "is sorry to see that a few retailers have decided to halt sales of pangasius." It said that when farmed according to ASC's pangasius standard, buyers and consumers "can have confidence" eating pangasius.
"All ASC certified seafood adhere to strict guidelines to ensure they minimise the negative environmental impacts of farming," the organization said.
"Pangasius farms certified to the ASC standard can only be located in areas approved for aquaculture, and are required to measure various water parameters including nitrogen, phosphorus, and oxygen levels, at regular intervals to ensure they remain within set limits for optimal growing conditions.
"Strict procedures must also be followed to make sure that waste water does not pollute the ecosystem.
"Farms must also adhere to rigorous requirements to minimise disease outbreaks, must not use antibiotics unless truly necessary and then can only do so under the supervision of a veterinarian.
"As with all ASC standards, no antibiotics on the list of the World Health Organizations list of Critically Important Antimicrobials for human health can be used on a farm," it said.
"Because pangasius can be farmed efficiently, with low land use and limited use of feed, and can be produced in a way that respects the environment and communities, we feel there is space for the product in the competitive white fish market," it added.
ASC also noted that certification requires protections of workers' rights by insisting that all farms in the program offer employees contracts in keeping with International Labor Organization regulations.
"The ASC standard is frequently mentioned as the strongest certification on the market. We are dedicated to keeping it that way through consistent review in order to ensure that the standard reflects the best practices in aquaculture," it said.
(Undercurrentnews)
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the evening of December 24, 2024, in Hanoi, the Central Youth Union, Viet nam Youth Federation and the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association held the Vietnam Golden Star Award Ceremony 2024, with the theme "Reaching Vietnam", honoring 200 outstanding enterprises. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh attended.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first ten months of 2024, 448 Vietnamese companies were involved in exporting pangasius to international markets. Vinh Hoan remains the top exporter, holding a 14% share of Vietnam's total pangasius export value.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam's seafood sector is making impressive strides as it nears the end of the year. Aquaculture has maintained steady growth, while fishing activities have recovered thanks to favorable weather conditions.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) To ensure sustainable shrimp farming and environmental protection, Soc Trang Province emphasizes raising awareness and improving the capacity of shrimp farmers through various forms of communication and by developing and replicating effective models.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) To achieve the goal of making the province a national hub for high-quality shrimp post-larvae production and producing 50 billion shrimp post-larvae by 2025, Ninh Thuan has focused on implementing a comprehensive set of measures.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The seafood processing company Kyokuyo has just opened a seafood processing plant in Vietnam to reduce its reliance on China. In Japan, Kyokuyo ranks as the third-largest seafood producer, following Maruha Nichiro and Nissui.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam's total fishery production in the first 10 months of 2024 is estimated at 7,889.8 thousand tons, a 2.5% increase compared to the same period last year. Aquaculture contributed approximately 4,612.5 thousand tons, while capture fisheries accounted for 3,277.3 thousand tons.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ms. To Thi Tuong Lan, Deputy Secretary General of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), forecasts that pangasius export turnover could reach the target of USD2 billion in 2024. However, the industry will still face numerous challenges in the coming year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vinh Hoan Corporation has recently announced its business results for October, reporting over VND 1,200 billion in revenue, a 60% increase compared to the same period last year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to statistics from Vietnam Customs, Vietnam's tuna exports in October reached nearly $93 million, marking a 22% increase compared to the same period in 2023. In the first ten months of 2024, the total export value exceeded $821 million, up 18% compared to the same period last year.
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