farmed fish sourcing policy

The Co-operative Group recognises the importance of fish farming or ‘aquaculture’ in helping to meet the world’s growing demand for food

We are also mindful of the diverse environmental, ecological and animal welfare issues associated with the farming of carnivorous species such as Atlantic salmon in the marine environment.

The Co-operative Group takes fish sustainability very seriously and is committed to the maintenance of an own brand range of fishery products which gives the consumer a wide choice supported by informed, accurate and highly visible information to enable them to make responsible sourcing a factor in their purchasing decisions should they wish to do so.

The Co-operative Group holds environmental responsibility as an important part of our sustainability agenda and a major element of our brand equity in justifying the consumer trust, which is of paramount importance to us.

As well as food production, aquaculture has important social and economic roles to play in often remote coastal areas and developing countries; supporting the stability of local communities and providing important employment opportunities. The Co-operative are active members of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), which identifies standards for suppliers to achieve with regard to living and working conditions of their employees.

Sourcing

The Co-operative buy farmed fish only from inspected and audited growers who are able to demonstrate a responsible attitude towards the environment in which they operate and that their management systems are compliant with best practice.

All Co-op suppliers are subject to audit and inspection on a regular basis to ensure that the required standards are met.

Freedom Food Salmon

As of March 2012, all our farmed fresh and smoked salmon has come from farms accredited to RSPCA Freedom Food higher welfare standards. The RSPCA Freedom Food standard means more space for the salmon to swim in, better water quality, minimal handling and farmers who are trained to Freedom Food standards.

Slaughter

As you would expect, our standards for the processing of farmed fish are the same as for any other farmed species sold under Co-operative brand. All farmed fish must be correctly stunned prior to slaughter, immaterial of where in the world they are farmed. We do not permit the use of asphyxiation on ice.

The raising of farmed fish in facilities located adjacent to or within the natural marine environment poses many challenges and in particular we recognise the following as key concerns and important considerations:

Eco-efficiency (wild captured feed species)

Most farmed fish species are carnivorous and require the nutritional characteristics of a diet typified by oceanic feed species such as shrimps, prawns and small marine fish such as herring.

• That all wild captured species are taken by responsible fishers from well managed resources

• That species which are considered to be over-exploited or endangered 
  are excluded from formulations

• That all reasonable precautions are taken to ensure the efficient feeding of stock in order to avoid over feeding and wasted feed products

• That vegetable protein and lipid materials of non GMO origin are incorporated
  into the formulation at levels which do not compromise animal welfare or the nutritional profile of the edible fish

• That the supplier is mindful of developments in feed technology and the  identification of alternative proteins and lipids which may further reduce the utilisation of wild marine materials without detriment to animal welfare, product safety, product quality and nutritional profile

Environment

Suppliers must comply with all local and national legislation governing the protection of the environment.  Whilst it is acknowledged that fish farming operations will inevitably have some impact on the environment, suppliers must be able to demonstrate a proactive and responsible attitude towards controlling and minimising this effect. 

It is a requirement of supply that farming operations conduct regular environmental impact assessments and a strong recommendation that they adopt recognised and independently audited environmental management systems. 

Predator control

With the growth of the aquaculture industry, it has become increasingly common for birds, sea mammals and other wildlife to predate fish farms. We recognise that fish farms need to take reasonable measures to deter and exclude such predatory animals, which can be a cause of significant stock loss and stress to the fish. 

Such measures have to be as humane as possible and focus on the use of preventative measures such as cover nets, acoustic devices, barriers and effective net tensioning.  We require our farmed fish suppliers to use every possible method of deterrence and exclusion before considering any other measures in accordance both with existing legislation and industry best practice. Consideration should also be given to advisory guidelines developed in conjunction with nature conservancy agencies.

Any shooting/destruction of wild animals must only be performed as a last resort when all other measures have been proven insufficient to prevent stock loss and must only be carried out in strict accordance with firearm regulations and records kept of these incidents. The deliberate poisoning of wild animals is not permitted under any circumstances.

Escapes

The Co-operative Group is mindful of the potentially harmful consequences of ‘genetic pollution’ to wild fish stocks through interbreeding with escaped farm animals.

Suppliers to the Co-operative group are required to ensure that all reasonable measures are taken to ensure that farmed fish are prevented from escaping into the wild environment through the application of good farm/pond/cage design and construction appropriate for the prevalent weather and tidal conditions of the site, ongoing inspections and routine preventative maintenance measures.

Reviewing the policy

We regularly review our fish sourcing policy, assessing it against a wide variety of information sources. Our approach is to closely monitor the latest scientific advice, taking into account the views expressed by non-government organisations and other interested parties such as marine conservation groups.