The nonprofit organization clarifies that producers certified under the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) are subject to rigorous food safety inspections and environmental production controls. In addition, it notes that these producers invest in their business to meet these requirements and must be respected by their leadership in doing so.
GAA pointed out that there have been anti-pangasius campaigns, often promoted by competing seafood interests and spread on social media, that can easily misrepresent the realities.
It also emphasizes that the claims made in these campaigns have been challenged by scientific literature studies and publications.
“Pangasius has been the subject of food scares and environmental scares, but on closer inspection the claims lack substance,” the co-author of one of these studies, said Simon Bush, professor of environmental policy at Wageningen University.
“Our analysis shows that the vigorous claims made about pangasius do not match the very limited safety risk and limited environmental impact observed in scientific studies. In reality, pangasius, a relatively new product in Western markets, has found an important niche in retail and foodservice outlets and is perhaps a victim of its own success,” he added.
Another scientist, Ghent University Professor Emeritus Patrick Sorgeloos, stressed research of Dutch scientists has showed that the contribution of the pangasius industry to pollution in the Mekong River is negligible.
He also also pointed out, “When pangasius made its entrance in Europe, the local fishing industry was afraid of cheap farmed fish from Asia, as they thought that consumers would buy less fish from local sources.,” which did not happen.
Regarding the claims of negative environmental impacts, GAA’s BAP Coordinator Dan Lee pointed out, “Any fish species, whether in a natural or a farm setting, will interact with its environment. Pangasius is no exception and the interactions arising from production systems in Southeast Asia do have the potential to generate localized negative impacts.”
In this sense, he noted that organizations such as the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and BAP have established production and environmental standards for farmed fish to recognize those producers who mitigate against those potential negative impacts.
“The standards specify the controls that need to be applied to contain the risks of biodiversity impacts, wildlife interactions, pollution and the indirect impacts associated with providing marine ingredients for feeds,” Lee highlighted.
Additionally, the standards developed by GAA and ASC set controls on the use of chemicals and antibiotics to prevent any risks to the health of either the environment or the consumer.
To verify compliance with BAP and ASC standards, independent certification bodies conduct annual inspections, with teams of trained auditors that have specialist knowledge of aquaculture and its potential impacts.
Therefore, the organization concluded that given the combined forces of science-based standards and rigorous, independent auditing, it is clear that certified pangasius is a responsible sourcing choice.
Currently, in Vietnam, many enterprises, farms and processors are granted international certifications like BAP of the U.S., ASC of the EU, Global GAP…
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam's tuna exports reached around $84 million in March 2024, a 17% rise. Vietnam's total tuna export revenue for the first three months of 2024 was $215 million, up 19% from the same time in 2023 but down 17% from 2022. It is anticipated that tuna exports may miss the billion-dollar mark as in 2022 at this rate and the difficulties the business faces.
Vietnam raked in over US$200 million from exporting tuna to 86 markets worldwide during the first quarter of the year, representing a rise of 19% against the same period from last year.
Vietnam’s pangasius export to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reached more than 7 million USD in the first quarter of this year, a rise of 67% against the same period last year. UAE mainly imported frozen fillets from Vietnam.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to data from General Department of Vietnam Customs, the UK imported nearly $3 million worth of pangasius from Vietnam in the first half of March 2024. Cumulative pangasius exports to this market reached $12 million as of March 15, 2024, down 3% from the same period last year.
Total export revenue from agro-forestry-fisheries products in the first three months of this year is estimated at 13.53 billion USD, up 21.8% over the same period last year; and this results in a trade surplus of 3.36 billion USD, a rise of 96.5%, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
The southernmost locality is developing shrimp farming models that generate large outputs but are environment-friendly.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) An Giang province's aquaculture output is predicted to reach 172.3 thousand tons in the first quarter of 2024, up 6.37% (+10.3 thousand tons) from the same time the previous year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to data from Vietnam Customs, as of March 15, 2024, Vietnam's cephalopod exports reached more than 109 million USD, a slight decrease of 3% compared to the same period in 2023. In the first quarter of this year, Vietnam's cephalopod exports are expected to reach about 136 million USD, down 2% over the same period last year.
(vasep.com.vn) According to statistics from the International Trade Centre (ITC), Portugal is the 6th largest tuna importer in the EU. In 2023, the country's tuna imports from other countries increased by 9% compared to 2022, reaching nearly 241 million USD.
(vasep.com.vn) Vinh Hoan Corporation has just announced supplementary documents for the 2024 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, scheduled to be held on April 17.
VASEP - HIỆP HỘI CHẾ BIẾN VÀ XUẤT KHẨU THỦY SẢN VIỆT NAM
Chịu trách nhiệm: Ông Nguyễn Hoài Nam - Phó Tổng thư ký Hiệp hội
Đơn vị vận hành trang tin điện tử: Trung tâm VASEP.PRO
Trưởng Ban Biên tập: Bà Phùng Thị Kim Thu
Giấy phép hoạt động Trang thông tin điện tử tổng hợp số 138/GP-TTĐT, ngày 01/10/2013 của Bộ Thông tin và Truyền thông
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 – (ext.203); email: kimthu@vasep.com.vn
Trụ sở: Số 7 đường Nguyễn Quý Cảnh, Phường An Phú, Quận 2, Tp.Hồ Chí Minh
Tel: (+84) 28.628.10430 - Fax: (+84) 28.628.10437 - Email: vasephcm@vasep.com.vn
VPĐD: số 10, Nguyễn Công Hoan, Ngọc Khánh, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 - Fax: (+84 24) 37715084 - Email: vasephn@vasep.com.vn