Official News

Here you have the opportunity to read articles from journals, insights on information events and reports of different organisations. 

Nach dem Nationalrat lehnt auch der Ständerat die Fair-Food-Initiative der Grünen ab. Auf einen Gegenvorschlag der SP trat der Ständerat nicht ein.

Die Initiative «Für gesunde sowie umweltfreundlich und fair hergestellte Lebensmittel», auch Fair-Food-Initiative, verlangt hohe Standards für importierte Lebensmittel, um die Schweizer Produktion zu schützen. Der Bund könnte für Produkte, welche die Standards nicht erfüllen, auch Zölle anheben. Der Ständerat lehnte die Initiative am Dienstag, 27. Februar mit 32 zu 3 Stimmen bei 9 Enthaltungen ab. Isidor Baumann (CVP/UR) sagte als Sprecher der Wirtschaftskommission, der im September 2017 vom Volk angenommene Artikel zur Ernährungssicherheit nehme die wesentlichen Elemente der Initiative auf. Die übrigen Punkte halte die Kommission für nicht umsetzbar, nicht zuletzt wegen der WTO-Pflichten der Schweiz.

Die SP beantragte einen direkten Gegenvorschlag, mit dem Ziel, nachhaltig produzierte und importierte Lebensmittel zu fördern. Roberto Zanetti (SP/SO) sagte, die Initiative habe an der Urne durchaus Chancen, man könnte so das Erwünschte fördern, statt das Unerwünschte zu verbieten. Die meisten Votanten fanden aber, weitere Bestimmungen im Lebensmittelbereich seien derzeit nicht nötig. Auch Bundesrat Alain Berset hielt neue Verfassungsgrundlagen nicht für nötig.

Der Nationalrat hat die Initiative bereits im Herbst 2017 mit 119 zu 60 Stimmen abgelehnt. Ebenfalls abgelehnt hat er die Initiative „Für Ernährungssouveränität der Bauerngewerkschaft Uniterre. Der Ständerat wird diese voraussichtlich in der laufenden Session beraten.

©Foodaktuell

Zwei Jahre lang führte Greenpeace eine Kampagne gegen Thai Union, den größten Dosenthunfisch-Hersteller der Welt. Dabei zeigten wir auf, welche katastrophalen Arbeitsbedingungen und zerstörerischen Fangmethoden in der thailändischen Fischerei-Industrie an der Tagesordnung stehen. Gemeinsam mit Menschen weltweit haben wir den Thunfisch-Konzern aufgefordert seine Geschäftspraktiken zu ändern. Mit Erfolg: Heute präsentiert Thai Union neue Richtlinien für seine globale Produktion. Mit sozialen und ökologischen Maßnahmen setzt Thai Union endlich Schritte zu einer nachhaltigen Fischerei.

Die Produkte verkauft das Unternehmen auf der ganzen Welt: Jede fünfte Thunfischdose stammt von Thai Union. Der thailändische Konzern trägt somit grosse Verantwortung für unsere Meere. Denn bereits 90 Prozent der Fischbestände sind laut den Vereinten Nationen bereits überfischt oder bis an die Grenzen genutzt. Doch bislang hat sich Thai Union geweigert, entsprechende Maßnahmen zu setzen, um tatsächlich einen nachhaltigen Beitrag zu leisten. Dies ändert sich jedoch ab heute: Mit neuen Richtlinien will der Fisch-Konzern zu einer nachhaltigen Fischerei beitragen.

Dabei setzt Thai Union einerseits auf soziale Maßnahmen. Denn die Lebensbedingungen auf den thailändischen Fischfangschiffen sind oft extrem und führen zu Krankheiten bis hin zum Tod. Der Konzern wird bereits in den nächsten sechs Monaten einen Verhaltenskodex für menschenrechtskonforme Arbeitsbedingungen entlang seiner gesamten Lieferkette aufsetzen. Unabhängige Prüfer werden die Schiffe kontrollieren. Zusätzlich sollen elektronische Überwachungen menschenrechtsverletzende Praktiken auf den Flotten verbannen. Ebenso verlängert Thai Union ein Moratorium für das sogenannte Transshipment. Dies ist eine Methode der Fischerei-Industrie, bei der große Fischmengen auf offener See auf ein Transportschiff umgeladen werden. Das Fangschiff muss somit nicht zum Hafen zurückkehren und kann effizienter und kostengünstiger arbeiten. Auf offener See umgeht das Schiff jedoch auch staatliche Kontrollen. Damit verbunden sind oft

Menschenrechtsverletzungen. Diese sind in der thailändischen Fischerei-Industrie gang und gäbe. Das Gehalt der Arbeiter wird oftmals zurückgehalten oder gar nicht ausbezahlt. Mündliche Vereinbarungen werden nicht eingehalten, was dazu führt, dass die Arbeiter oft mehrere Monate länger als vereinbart auf offener See bleiben müssen. Auch kommt es immer wieder zu verbaler und körperlicher Gewalt.

Neben den sozialen Maßnahmen wird Thai Union auch ökologisch-nachhaltige Schritte setzen: Allen voran sollen zerstörerische Fischereimethoden reduziert werden. Im Fokus stehen zwei Fangarten: Die industrielle Langleinenfischerei und sogenannte Fischsammler (FAD). Beiden Methoden produzieren Beifang.

• Die Langleinenfischerei soll bei Flotten, die für Thai Union liefern, reduziert und durch vertretbare Fangmethoden wie Leine und Rute ersetzt werden. Bei allen restlichen Langleinenschiffen sollen Methoden zum Einsatz kommen, um den Beifang zu reduzieren, wie zum Beispiel Rundhaken oder Vergrämer, die Vögel vertreiben. Denn etliche Tiere wie Seevögel, Schildkröten und Haie werden durch die Langleinenfischerei getötet und landen als Abfall wieder im Meer.
• Bis zum Jahr 2020 soll der Einsatz von FADs um 50 Prozent reduziert werden. . Fischsammler sind künstliche, schwimmende Plattformen, die von den Fischereiflotten auf der Meeresoberfläche ausgebracht werden. Thunfische werden von den FADs instinktiv angezogen, aber auch viele andere Meerestiere.

Greenpeace-VertreterInnen werden sich alle sechs Monate mit MitarbeiterInnen von Thai Union treffen, um die Umsetzung der Maßnahmen zu evaluieren. Bereits Ende 2018 wird eine unabhängige Prüfung den Fortschritt von Thai Union dokumentieren.

Die Maßnahmen von Thai Union stellen die Weichen für eine vertretbare Fischerei, bei der Menschenrechte geachtet werden. Zusätzlich sind die Verpflichtungen des Konzerns aber auch ein Zeichen für die gesamte Fischerei-Industrie: Der Status Quo ist nicht mehr akzeptabel. Und wenn es der größte Dosenthunfisch-Hersteller der Welt schafft, derartige Maßnahmen anzukündigen, dann können und müssen globale Fisch-Konzerne diesem Beispiel folgen. Greenpeace wird sich dafür weiterhin weltweit einsetzen.

©Greenpeace

Demand for efficiency and sustainability is creating an opening in aquaculture for ABB, a Swedish-Swiss multinational systems engineering firm that focuses on automation.

Headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, ABB operates in more than 100 countries and employs around 132,000 people. It sees a potentially large opportunity in helping to automate major aquaculture farms and processing plants, according to Lars Andersen, head of the ABB aquaculture division in Norway.

The company has already made significant headway into the market in Norway, according to Andersen, and based on that success, he told SeafoodSource the company sees a global market for its services. 

ABB’s aquaculture wing is using expertise built up in its electrification business – Andersen said his company has helped Norway begin exporting electricity via cables to Western Europe. Andersen said 

 “This is technology you can use for fish farms, even if the voltage is different,” Andersen said. “We have the technology to make [aquaculture operations] efficient on all sides. ABB systems connect electrification and control systems on numerous remote sites to one on-land control station. This cuts out the need for diesel generators, saves power, and ensures usage of clean energy from on-shore renewable energy sources. “

Andersen doesn’t have figures for the percentage of ABB revenues from its aquaculture division, but he said the firm has already had success with large projects in the aquaculture sector, including aquafeed factories, smelting factories and processing plants throughout Norway. The biggest project ABB has completed in the aquaculture sector recently was a fish-feed project for Marine Harvest completed in 2015, he said.

On the processing side, ABB is working on a new processing plant being built by Norwegian salmon firm Leroy AS. It’s unique because of an automation system that allows a single control interface that allows the plant operator to monitor machines installed by various suppliers, according to Andersen.

“We can collect all the data and present it in one interface for the client to monitor, instead of five to ten interfaces. This allows you to check how the machines are doing and how the plant is performing,” he said. “Also, we can connect all sites to one control center on land instead of having one guy on each fish farm controlling feeding,  so you can operate that from a single control center controlling numerous sites.” 

In general, aquaculture companies want automation systems to be more efficient and sustainable than their current operations, Andersen said, and he believes the know-how ABB is building up on seafood projects in Norway can help companies achieve that anywhere they operate in the world. Indeed, ABB is already pursuing an initial effort at global transfer at technology – the firm already has a seafood specialist in its Tokyo office where the robotics team is delivering robots for fish processing plants in Japan. 

“They want to be more precise,” he said. “They want less waste.” 

This is a trend that he expects to continue. However such automation works on large-scale plants and isn’t yet suited to small factories without the scale to pay for the systems, he said.

 “We see that [Norwegian] aquaculture production companies are exporting nets and other aquaculture equipment to Africa and the Middle East and Asia. You need equipment like nets if you do aquaculture on a small scale, such as 10,000 tons per year. You don’t need automation at that level,” he said.

Nonetheless, Andersen sees ABB moving to market its aquaculture expertise globally.

“I think that’s a future strategy,” he said. “We haven’t started yet, [but] I don’t think the [aquaculture] business is automated yet and salaries are too low. [Maybe we’ll start] In a couple of years.”

©seafoodsource.com

In the first 3 months of 2017, Vietnam’s pangasius exports valued at US$371.3 million, up 1.6% over the same period last year. There was a shift in the importing market structure, in which, exports to China continued to increase by 56.8%.

Shipments to other big potential markets such as Brazil, Mexico and Saudi Arabia also posted the year-on-year increases of 70.4%, 38.8% and 13.8%, respectively. Meanwhile, exports to some other main markets went down, in which, sales to the U.S fell by 24.3%; those to the EU decreased by 21.5%; those to ASEAN downed 10.8%;and those to Colombia dropped by 5.3% over the same period in 2016.

In the first three months of this year, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to China gained US$ 69.7 million, up 56.8% from the same period last year. Since February 2017, China has become the biggest pangasius importing market of Vietnam pangasius. Currently, there were nearly 40 Vietnamese enterprises exporting pangasius to China through Cat Lai Port, Bac Phong Sinh border checkpoint; Mong Cai (Quang Ninh) border checkpoint; Chi Ma (Lang Son) border checkpoint; Na Lang and Ta Lung border checkpoint (Cao Bang). In early this year, China continued to a potential importing market of Vietnam pangasius.

As of March 2017, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the U.S touched US$61 million, down 24.3% over the same period last year. Currently, there were nearly 15 Vietnam’s pangasius exporters to the U.S. However, there were 2-3 main exporters to this market. After, the export value of pangasius to the U.S continued the rise, but from the beginning of 2017, it was down due to high anti-dumping tax and other technical barriers from the importing market.

Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the EU in QI/2017 reached US$49.9 million, down 21.5% over the same period last year. In particular, exports to 4 single largest markets including the Netherlands, the UK, Spain and Germany reported the year-on-year decreases of 2.8%; 15%; 42.8% and 27.2%, respectively. According to the ITC statistics, in 2016, imports of some whitefish species into the EU such as frozen cod fillets (HS code 030471); frozen Alaska (HS code 030475) and frozen cod (HS code 030363) picked up the largest share. Up to now, whitefish products are still very competitive with Vietnamese frozen pangasius fillets (HS code 030462). It is forecasted that from QIII/2017, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the EU will increase when the price of raw materials decrease due to a sufficient supply to meet market demand.

In QI/2017, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to Brazil achieved US$35.5 million, up 70% compared to QI / 2016. Thus, Brazil stayed as the third largest single importer of Vietnam’s pangasius (behind China and the U.S) in earlier this year. According to ITC statistics, Vietnam and Argentina were currently the two largest suppliers of whitefish to Brazil, followed by China and Portugal. In earlier this year, pangasius exports to Brazil showed positive signs with good prices. In the coming time, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to Brazil expected to continue the rise.

In the first three months of this year, top five largest pangasius exporting companies in Vietnam included Vinh Hoan Corp., Bien Dong Seafood, Navico, Hung Vuong Corp. and IDI Corp, with the value of US$140.4 million, accounting for 37.8% of total exports, equal to the same period last year. Vietnam’s pangasius exports forecasted to continue to increasing by 5% compared to 2016.

Written by Ta Ha

Compiled by Dieu Thuy

©seafood.vasep.com

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing threatens the habitat of fish in the seas. The importing of marine fishery products from IUU fishing activities is prohibited in the EU.

Importing marine fishery products from so-called illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities has been prohibited in the EU since 2010.

The ordinance on controlling the lawful origin of imported marine fishery products comes into force on1 March 2017. This new ordinance is designed to ensure that only fishery products of lawful origin – i.e. no products from IUU fishing activities – are imported into Switzerland.

Consignments of marine fishery products listed in Annex I of the ordinance are subject to controls as from 1 March 2017 and must be registered with the FSVO for document inspection. There is no requirement to submit consignments for inspection that come from states listed in Annex 2 of the ordinance.

Foire aux questions FAQ: Ordonnance sur le contrôle de l'origine licite des produits de la pêche maritime importés

Informations sur l’application de l'ordonnance sur le contrôle de l'origine licite des produits de la pêche maritime importés

Ordinance on control of the lawful origin of imported marine fishery products

Buyers have been concerned about lower supply and higher prices for Alaskan salmon since the start of the year, and when Alaska Department of Fish and Game projections were released in mid-March.

Those projections showed that sockeye salmon is expected to drop from more than 52.8 million fish last year to nearly 40.9 million fish this year. King salmon will also drop from 401,000 harvested in 2016 to a projected 80,000 fish in 2017. 

Now, new ADFG data for the 2017 Bristol Bay sockeye salmon season will add to their concerns about already high prices on wild salmon inventories. Around 27.5 million sockeye salmon are potentially available for commercial harvest, compared to 37.3 million last year. In addition, the overall run for the region is projected to be 41.5 million sockeye, a steep drop from the 51.4 million sockeye landed in 2016. 

“Last year, the total run for Bristol Bay was the second highest out of the last 20 years. When you are having the second-best season in 20 years, you can’t do that every year. It is natural variability,” Tim Sands, Nushagak and Togiak manager for ADFG’s Commercial Fisheries Division, told SeafoodSource. “The forecast for this year is still above average: the average [commercial harvest] is 31.5 million fish.”

However, buyers are still concerned about low inventories and high prices on 2016 salmon, leading into the 2017 season. 

“There is very little [frozen inventory] left. We are all anxiously awaiting for the new season,” said Steven N. Chartier, vice president of sales and marketing for Peter Pan Seafoods in Seattle, Washington. 

“Demand far exceeds supply,” echoed Cassandra Squibb, chief marketing officer for Copper River Seafoods in Anchorage, Alaska, saying that frozen salmon prices are around 15 percent higher than they were a year ago. “This will be a trend well into the season.”

Despite the concerning sockeye news, Alaska’s overall pink salmon forecast is forecast to surge from 39.4 million fish last year to 141.9 million this year, benefitting processors of canned salmon, smoked salmon and other products.

Plus, Alaska coho salmon will jump from 3.8 million fish last year to a projected 4.7 million this year.

©seafoodsource.com

The goal of measures such as sustainable criteria for productions and export of palm oil as well as the gradual withdrawal from the extraction of plant oil, the goal of protecting the rainforest and its flora and fauna can be accomplished.

The Environment Committee of the European Parliament spoke out in favour of these subjects at the vote of a report about palm oil and the deforestation of rainforests. 

Laut einer aktuellen, weltweiten Verbraucherumfrage spielt Nachhaltigkeit eine Schlüsselrolle beim Fischeinkauf. Für die FischesserInnen in der Schweiz ist Nachhaltigkeit wichtiger als Preis und Marke. Das überrascht, gelten doch bei Lebensmitteln üblicherweise neben der Qualität vor allem Preis und Marke als kaufentscheidend. 

Vorgestellt am MSC Meeting in Zürich am 8. Februar 2017.

"Wir sind sehr erfreut, die erste Pulpofischerei der Welt zu sein, die als nachhaltig anerkannt ist. Die Erlangung der MSC-Zertifizierung ist eine Anerkennung für unser Engagement für die Nachhaltigkeit: Es war mehr als ein Jahr harter Arbeit von allen uns handwerklichen Fischern aus dem Westen der Region Asturien. Wir verpflichten uns zum Schutz unseres Ozeans, weil wir wissen, dass die Zukunft unserer Küstengemeinschaften und die Nachhaltigkeit der Umwelt davon abhängt."

Diese atlantische Fischerei, die in den Gewässern von Asturien in Nordwestspanien tätig ist, ist die erste Krakenfischerei, die MSC-zertifiziert wurde.

Die Flotte besteht aus vier spanischen Fischergütern ("cofradias"), die 27 Schiffe unter Verwendung von handwerklichen Fallen, um den gemeinsamen Oktopus (Octopus vulgaris) zu fangen.

Abgesehen davon, dass eine aussergewöhnliche Kreatur in der Lage ist, Farbe, Textur und Form zu ändern, ist der Oktopus eine wirtschaftlich wichtige Spezies.

Ein Fischerei-Managementplan wird von der Regionalregierung in Zusammenarbeit mit den regionalen Vereinen betreut. Ein Mindestgewicht von 1 kg ist vorhanden. Die Fischerei hat einen venachlässigbaren Einfluss auf den Meeresboden, und Beifang und Rückwürfe sind minimal.

Am. 8. Februar 2017 hat in Zürich die Infoveranstaltung für MSC und ASC stattgefunden. 

Über 300 internationale Teilnehmer versammelten sich am 20. und 21.

Februar in Hamburg zum 4. Fischwirtschafts-Gipfel. Zwei Tage lang drehte sich auf der vom FischMagazin organisierten Veranstaltung alles rund um den Handel und die Erzeugung von Fisch und Seafood im In- und Ausland.

Im Rahmen der Fachtagung wurde auch der Branchenpreis Seafood Star vergeben, der in diesem Jahr sein 10. Jubiläum feiert.

Am 20. Juni 2014 hat das Parlament ein neues Lebensmittelrecht verabschiedet, welches nun ab dem 1. Mai 2017 in Kraft tritt. 

Bisher benötigten alle im Lebensmittelrecht nicht erwähnten Lebensmittel eine Bewilligung. Mit der Revision ändert sich die Philosophie: Lebensmittel dürfen in den Verkehr gelangen, sofern sie sicher sind und den gesetzlichen Vorgaben entsprechen. Eine Zulassungspflicht sorgt bei neuartigen Lebensmitteln wie Proteinextrakten aus Insekten dafür, dass die Lebensmittelsicherheit gewährleistet ist.

Der Wechsel der Philosophie bringt zahlreiche Verbesserungen.

Bei der Einführung der neuen Regelungen wird der Bund die Branchen und Kantone begleiten und unterstützen. Gesundheitsrelevante Bestimmungen treten per 1. Mai 2017 in Kraft, Deklarationsvorschriften nach einer Übergangsfrist von vier Jahren, was die Umsetzungskosten – etwa wegen der Anpassung von Verpackungsmaterialien – auf ein Minimum reduziert. 

©Bundesamt für Lebensmittelsicherheit und Veterinärwesen

The results of Fair Trade in Switzerland have made consumers more sensitive to the production conditions in the country of origin and have changed the way of choosing a product.

The study “Verändert der Faire Handel die Gesellschaft?” has come to this result, commissioned by TransFair and other non-profit organisations. Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Müller accepted this study for the start of the International Green Week in Berlin. 

The most obvious change is certainly the product range and its availability of fairly traded products that has increased considerably.

These products are not only at hand in world shops but also in nearly every super market, many speciality shops as well as the gastronomy.  

With the key word “Fair purchase”, purchase policies have been discussed politically

In politics, fair purchase policies are being discussed whereas in economics Fair Trade within corporate responsibility and raw materials extraction has become more important.

According to the study, the simple concept itself is the main factor of success: Fair Trade allows understanding complex connections of problems and offers clear methods of resolution.

Still, a lot remains to be done. Especially in politics, issues such as “Fair World Trade”, “Sustainable Development” and “Sustainable Consummation” have to be put into focus more often, demands Dieter Overath, CEO of TransFair. 

During the evaluation period of 15 years, no basic changes of the regulatory framework have occurred, much to the dismay of the Fair-Trade-Movement.

„It is down to Fair Trade to ensure more solidarity within like-minded civic parties to promote the political demand for a more just world trade.”, says Andrea Fütterer, CEO of the Forum Fair Trade.

This study has been carried out by Ceval Institute Saarbrücken and has been supported financially by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. A short version can be downloaded from the TransFair-website.

©bio-markt.info

If measured in dry matter, the food industry in Switzerland produces around 2.3 million tons of food products per year out of which about 0.51 million tons ends as waste. Roughly a quarter of this mass cannot be avoided. 

The part that can be avoided comes to a total of around 0.365 tons dry matter per year and is equivalent to 15 % of all the produced food. Three quarters of all the food losses are used as animal feeds, 11.4 % are recycled as biogas and 9.3 % as compost. 

The main reason for this amount of loss is the lack of a sales market but also the lack of technical solutions.

Find here the complete survey of the Federal Office for Environnement

On the first of December 2016, an information event with the topic "Bio 3.0 - Visionen für die Biobranche und den Biokonsum" took place. 

Roughly 260 people participated in this event which was organised by Bio Suisse, Demeter, FiBL and Bio.inspecta. For the first time, the entire value chain of the organic food sector had the chance to interact with each other.

Speakers from different fields presented their work to the audience and later joined discussions and answered questions. 

Urs Niggli, FiBL: Die Zukunft des Biolandbaus neu denken?

Clemens Rüttimann, Biotta: Genügt Bio noch als Differenzierung? 

Jens Jung, John Baker: Hello

Laura Schälchli, Slow Food Youth Schweiz: Konsumenten Vision Bio 3.0

WWF Switzerland is the biggest environmental organisation in the country and is structured as a nonprofit foundation. It is part of the global network of WWF, that is taking part in about 1000 projects in over 100 countries all over the world, and is present all over Switzerland.

As one, the WWF network has one goal: to stop the worldwide destruction or environement and to create a future, in which humans and nature can live together peacefully. The only way to achieve this is to protect animals, plants and their habitats and to improve the way of using our ressources. 

Leaflet

WWF enterprise partnerships PDF

Link: 

WWF enterprise partnerships 2015 

The ecological aquaculture is the only one that has a real impact on the issue of preserving our marine resources. The origin of fish food is crucial: fishmeal and fish oil coming from Naturland are made out of remnants of the processing of edible fish whereas fish at industrial farms are fed with food from specialised food producers.  

Occurred problems

Fishing seafood such as shrimp in wild population is not the only problem that occurs.  

Farms might cause just as many environmental impacts: in response to that, Naturland Shrimps are farmed in ecological aquacultures in Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, Honduras, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Indonesia. 

Environmentally friendly shrimp production
The low stocking density, the ban of antibiotics and other chemotherapeutics, ecological food and animal-friendly breeding are parts of our shrimp production.

Reforestation of mangrove forests

Protecting and reforesting the ecologically valuable mangrove forests plays an important part in the environmental compatibility and is a crucial part of Naturland guidelines.

The result of this policy can best be witnessed in Ecuador where more than 440 hectares of mangrove forest have been reforested since 2001. 

“Naturland Label is undisputable and, as of today, the strictest label in Germany. Our conclusion: To be sure, that neither the fish nor the environment was burdened by farming or fishing, check for the Naturland label.”

Ecological and socially sustainable

The social sustainability is added to the ecological sustainability:

Many farmers such as the approximately 1.000 members of the Organic Shrimp Project (OSP) benefit from the Naturland certification and the access to export market, protection from exploitative middlemen and an ensured income that is connected with it.

In addition to that stands the fact that shrimps, when farmed ecologically, can be put into poly culture. In this procedure, several species of crabs and fish are kept in the same pond. This method allows the farmers to have fish for their own need as well as customers and it gives them and their families an extra income. 

Naturland’s certifications for wild fish set the standards to ensure a completely sustainable fishery.

Naturland’s engagement for sustainable fishing started in Tanzania, more specifically at the Lake Victoria.

In corporation with seafood importers, processors and GIZ (a German society for international collaboration), Naturland developed the first certification for sustainable artisanal fishing.  

Their goal is to fish the Lake Victoria perch sustainably, protect the ecological system of the lake and to improve the living conditions of the local fishers. In order to reach their objective, the Naturland wild fishing guidelines has been regulating fishing gears and trapping methods as well as social framework conditions.

Caught sustainably – processed ecologically

Thanks to the certification process, over 1.000 fishers and their families living on the south and east shore of Lake Victoria have a steady income. People living there can also benefit from social projects set up by partners of Naturland.

Aside from the permanent provision of clean drinking water and medical help, the special guidelines also call for kindergartens and schools for the fishers’ children as well as literacy classes for adults. Clear pricing and gauged balances should prevent that fishers will be outsmarted by intermediaries.

Developing sustainability together

Another important part is to build official well-built landing stages to ensure high quality from the start.

The guidelines for the fishing devices and to avoid capture of young perch have proven themselves: within the project regions, the population has been stabilised.

Based on the experiences made at Lake Victoria, Naturland has certified several other projects, for example at the Baltic Sea or in the biosphere reserve Schaalsee in northern Germany.

The Naturland guidelines serve as a mean to communicate with fishers, environmentalists, authorities and scientists the same way.

All relevant aspects will be identified and settled with help of detailed conditions.

„The label Naturland does not only stand for sustainable fishing in harmony with nature but is, opposite to other certifications, consistent in terms of ecological treatment of the products.

The use of phosphates is strictly prohibited and ingredients such as edible oil and spices must be ecological.”

As survey by the Norwegian Formation Evaluation Society NFES shows that diets with fish are healthier as well as more filling. 

The result is remarkable: "The control group that had fish included in their diet plan showed a decrease of fat in their blood."

© FischMagazin

 
Find more information under:
Krusty Filet

For the Max Havelaar-Foundation, 2015 was a success. In Switzerland, products with the fairtrade label Max Havelaar have been bought for 520 millions Swiss Francs. 

The per capita consumption increased by 5 francs, from 57 to 62 francs. 

This clearly shows the importance of fairness and sustainability in everyday consumption. Trading, gastronomy and communities play just a relevant part by focussing on presenting their fairly produced goods more openly, taking them into their menues and set a standard in the sourcing.

The AquAdvantage salmon is the first genetically modified animal that has been released for sale.

According to the US American Food and Drug Administration FDA the genetically modified salmon poses no danger for humans or wild fish and can be sold without caveats or special declarations.

Yet two supermarket chains have announced that they will not be providing this salmon. In addition, the Bureau of Consumer Protection and several fishing organisations have announced to contest the decision from the FDA.

Click on this diagram to see a enlarged version.

In comparison with the original salmon, the fish with modified genes is growing two times faster. This allows the fisheries to produce a larger amount of the one fish species that is currently consumed more than ever before. The AquAdvantage salmon is an alternative to the common salmon that is threatened by overfishing.

FDA confirms that there is no apparent difference between the final product of the AquAdvantage salmon and farmed salmon. Instead of three years, the genetically modified salmon only takes 20 months to reach its slaughter age and despite not being larger than the common salmon it would need about 20% less nourishment. 

Responsible for this genetically modified salmon is the American Biotech company Aqua Bounty Farms. In 2009, billionaire Randal Kirk bought the enterprise and finances research since then.

It took the FDA more than 20 years to come to a positive conclusion and Aqua Bounty Farms would have to file for bankruptcy if Randal Kirk hadn’t taken it over.

Open doors for more genetic technology

FDA based their decision on a lawful auxiliary construction as specific legislations concerning genetically modified animals lacking and judged the AquAdvantage salmon by criteria of veterinary medicine.

However, critics say that this procedure is anything but close to the risks of genetic technology and only shows that there has been pressure to simplify access to a more general admission to genetically modified animals.

They see this agreement as a precedent for other biotech companies which experiment with 18 other fish species to get them to grow and fatten quicker. 

Intrexon, another company owned by Randal Kirk, is doing research on how to eradicate dengue fever with the help of genetically modified mosquitoes as well as manipulating apple’s genetics in such a way that they wouldn’t rot.  

The biggest turnover however was made with cloned cows. His reply to criticism is that genetic changes have been part of evolution since forever and therefore those who are afraid of cloned cows should also be scared of twins.  

As a security measure, the AquAdvantage salmon will only be kept and bred in tanks away from the ocean. In addition, female fish will be sterilised to prevent an uncontrolled reproduction.

Authorities see no risks even if the genetically modified salmon would reach open waters. According to studies made by FDA it is unlikely that farmed salmon would survive in the wilderness since it is used to being fed by humans. 

Up until now, the fish is produced in Panama. Commercial breeding that should result in 100,000 tons per year is planned. This is 0.5 % of the total quantity of farmed salmon. The USA, Canada, Argentina, Brazil and China are targeted as sales markets.

Situation for clients remains unclear

The question whether this salmon will convince customers remains unanswered. Surveys show that two thirds of the clients will not buy genetically modified salmon. Safeway and Kroger, two supermarket chains in the US, will not be including this salmon into their product range. The issue that they have with this new salmon is that it will not be declared any different than the usual farmed salmon. 

At the beginning of this development in 1989 stand several projects from the Universities of California and Toronto.

Through this, A/F Protein (predecessor of Aqua Bounty) received licenses that allowed them to isolate the ice-structuring proteins ISP of the Atlantic salmon.

On top of that, the company used DNA of the taller Pacific salmon and obtained permit from the US government to develop the AquAdvantage salmon.

The new fish has DNA from the pacific chinook salmon as well as DNA from the ocean pout which can survive even in ice cold waters and therefore making the AquAdvantage salmon during the whole year.

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The MINSA (Mackerel Industry Northern Sustainability Alliance) is a group merged from seven international fishing companies with over than 700 boats which range from small boats to trawlers. 

After two years of evaluation and taking into count the most recents data from fish population and recommandations of fishing quote MINSA could prove that the mackerel population has been farmed sustainably.

Never before has the market share of organic products been higher than in 2015: According to the annual figures of Bio Suisse, a percentage of 7.7 % has been reached. 

Especially major distributors have profited from this evolution but also the situation for Lidl and Aldi has changed. According to Daniel Bärtschi from Bio Suisse are such super markets more and more interested in the label Bio-Knospe. 

In January 2015, Sébastien Magnin's enterprise Biodis has been sold to Bio Partner. Biodis had its headquarters in the Romandy and thanks to this circumstance, Bio Suisse has the chance to strengthen its market position against foreign competitors.

Fisheries in Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands aim at a collective MSC certification. 

The roughly 400 fishing cutters catch 30.000 tons crabs each year of the same population in the North Sea which in total is over 90 per cent of all of the caught crabs in the North Sea. 

With this divrsion of nationalities and the high number of fishing boats, this formation is unique to receive a MSC certificate.  

The caught crabs, also knows as brown shrimps, are brought to numerous harbours along the coast where the fishers have been living and working in family businesses for generations.

"After years of preparation and agreements with science as well as the fishers from three countries we feel secure enough for the evaluation of the WWF standards. Nontheless, we should emphasise that the management is based on voluntary obligations." says Philipp Oberdörffer, CEO of the 'Erzeugergemeinschaft der Deutschen Krabbenfischer'. 

Find more information under: www.umweltdialog.de/Crab-Fishing-has-to-become-more-sustainable

The Federal Council of Switzerland will be examining whether fish should be labelled as farmed animals. 

According to the news agency SDA, the Federal Council responded to a motion of Andreas Aebi, member of the National Council, with the announcement to present legislative changes to the parliament, if necessary. 

Nevertheless, the Federal Council applied for the refusal of this motion. 

The motivation behind this request is that an ordinance is requested; yet, according to the Federal Council, a change of law or of the constitution would be necessary. 

Basically, the Federal Council is positively inclined to this request. 

Andreas Aebi is hoping for new possibilities for farmers with the help of farming fish.

With the right knowledge about how to prepare raw food such as meat, poultry, fish and seafood and to follow the four basic rules feasts can be enjoyed without any apprehension. 

Français: Savourer sans risque

Italiano: Consumare in tutta sicurezza