ORGANIC FARMING

Organic standards for fish production

India at present donot have a specific guideline for organic fish production and NPOP is formulating a draft policy in this respect. However, the organic standards for aquaculture discussed herein is that prescribed by the European Union.

Setting up the production system

Documentation

1) There must be a management plan and production description available, detailing the entire production system and how each of the requirements in the standards are complied with for the production unit.

2) An operating record must always be kept documenting systematic overview of the production system to the certifying body on request.

3) The following information must be recorded at intervals prescribed by the certifying body, as applicable, for every production unit:

• Putting out and stocking of cultured organisms: The number of organisms, species, origin, time when put out and average weight (live weight)
• Volume per production unit
• Stock density
• Removed quantity of dead/dying stock
• Information about the quantity must be specified as the number of stock and total weight in kilograms
• Production result (harvest weight): Information about the quantity must be specified as the number of stock, volume, or total weight in kilograms
• Usage of cleaning agents and disinfectants (chemical type, product name, quantity and usage period) as well as all major cleaning events
• All inputs, as they are purchased and used.

Environment/Water quality

• Water must come from a spring water supply, well, lake, river or marine area with minimal risk of pollution. Water sources must have minimal or no contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides or hormone disrupting chemicals.
• The water quality of source water bodies must not become significantly deteriorated due to the farming operation. This must be determined by yearly monitoring and evaluation of macro-benthic diversity or measurements of single parameters (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate).
• If a stream, spring, or well is the water source then a minimum of 50% of the average low water level must remain in the source.
• Producers must maintain production systems, whether self-contained or located in open water, such that sediment derived from the unit does not diminish the biodiversity of the environment.
• Feed wastage or faeces, which are collected, must be used as fertiliser in organic agriculture or in other appropriate applications.
• The cumulative impacts of all farms in the vicinity must be taken into consideration, rather than treating the farm as an isolated unit. The certification body may, at its discretion, require documentation of local carrying capacity or decline to certify farms in high-activity areas.
• Construction materials and production equipment containing paints, basic materials, or impregnating materials with toxic chemical agents are totally prohibited. This includes copper anti-fouling agents and net-dips.

Conversion Period

• Two inspections are required before an enterprise receives a certificate.  The duration of time between inspections must be the greater of one year or the length of a growing cycle.
• Once the transition growing cycle has been completed on a single unit, subsequent growing cycles (in the same, or different units) may be developed as certified organic, provided an application is made, all standards are adhered to, and records are kept for inspection.

Basic material and stock origin/breeding

• Producers must design breeding programs aimed at developing stock resistant to local disease pathogens. Breeds must be chosen that are adapted to local conditions.
• Brought-in aquatic organisms must come from organic sources.
• Producers must be able to demonstrate that the breeding program ensures genetic diversity in the production stock.
• Transgenic and genetically modified culture organisms.
• Artificially triploid or monosex stock.

Animal health and welfare

• There must be hygienic routines and routine examinations must be carried out to detect nascent diseases and production disturbances. The cause and outbreaks of disease or infection must be identified, and management practices implemented to prevent the causative events and future outbreaks.
• When treatment is necessary, the use of natural methods and medicines must be first choice. Disease treatment must be carried out so that it minimises harmful effects on the environment and the animals’ health.
• Conventional veterinary drugs and chemicals may only be used if no other justifiable alternative is available, and/or if the use of such chemicals is required according to national laws and standards.
• In any production system where use of antibiotics or other prohibited treatments may be necessary, treated stock must be withdrawn from the certified organic production stream and may only be marketed as conventional product.
• Emergency harvest must be considered as an alternative to drug treatment.
• Vaccinations are permitted if diseases which cannot be controlled by other management techniques are known to exist in the region. Vaccinations are also permitted if mandatory under applicable legislation.
• Routine prophylactic treatment with drugs or chemical agents are prohibited so are drugs and additives in feed and water to artificially promote growth.
• For production of species where active health management is the norm, current, accurate disease management record must be kept. The records must include:

• Identification of the infected and infecting organisms concerned
• Details of treatment and duration, including application rate, method of application, frequency of repetition, concentration of organisms
• Brand name of drugs used and active ingredients.

Nutrition and feeding

• All feed ingredients must be derived from certified organic ingredients, sustainable wild feed resources as detailed in species-specific standards, or other materials approved by the Codex.
• Feed must only be offered in a way that allows natural feeding behaviour and minimizes loss of feed to the environment.
• Coupling feed production with nutrient cycling through polyculture is strongly encouraged. The certifying body may, at its discretion, impose a schedule according to which producers must engage in commercial polyculture.

Transportation

• Transportation must not cause avoidable stress or injury to the animals.
• Transportation equipment and/or shipping materials must be selected with respect to environmental considerations and must not contaminate the product.
• Chemically synthesized tranquillisers or stimulants must not be given to the animals prior to or during transport.

Harvest and processing

• Harvest processes must minimise stress and suffering of the organisms. The handling and harvest of animals must be humane and directed at maximising the quality of the product without synthetic additives.
• Any product sold as certified organic must be processed in a certified organic processing facility.

For more visit http://www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca/rcbtoa/services/aquaculture.html

Labelling

Product labels is mandatory or voluntary and may refer to different kinds of product characteristics or attributes including the product’s composition or contents, product quality or form, as well as environmental or social aspects of the product’s production process or method. The principal objective of an ecolabelling is to create a market-based incentive for better management of fisheries by creating consumer demand for seafood products from well-managed stocks. FAO has developed specific guidelines for product certification and ecolabelling for fish and fishery products details of which is given below.

ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/005/y2789e/y2789e00.pdf

Last updated: 04-1-2008