BAP makes headway in Norway

It’s been a long time coming but the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) third-party certification program finally has a salmon farm certified under the BAP standards.

That farm is what is known in North America as Kvarøy Arctic (Kvarøy Fiskeoppdrett is the company name in Norway).

“The news was exciting for us as it represents a big step for BAP in Norway’s well established salmon-farming sector. We appreciate Kvarøy Fiskeoppdrett’s support and enthusiasm in pursuing BAP certification,” said Steven Hedlund, spokesman for the Global Aquaculture Alliance, the organization behind BAP.

The first aquaculture facility to be certified in Norway under BAP standards was a processing plant, in 2013. That marked BAP’s first entry into the country.

“We recognize that it can take longer to break into some markets due to the establishment of other aquaculture certification programs. With the addition of the two Kvarøy Fiskeoppdrett salmon farms, that’s three BAP-certified facilities in Norway now,” said Hedlund.

The BAP standards address environmental and social responsibility, animal welfare, food safety and traceability. Nearly 2,800 processing plants, farms, hatcheries and feed mills in 36 countries and six continents are now BAP-certified.

Another third-party certification system, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, has certified 242 salmon farms in Norway since 2014.