Feed and Farm CAR V1 ASC Feed Certification and Accreditation Requirements (CAR) v1.0.1 ASC Desk Review Form with Calculators v1.0.1 (effective from 10th Feb 2024) If you cannot find a document listed, please consult ASC’s Controlled Document Master List.

Feed Mills: Get ASC Certified

Get in front of farms who only buy from ASC-certified mills. It’s the recognition aquafeed deserves.

Ready to start? See what certification involves, step by step.

See the Steps

Why Feed Mills Choose ASC

Open Markets: Sell to ASC-certified farms who can only source feed from ASC-certified mills. Stay their supplier of choice.
Prove Your Performance: Put certification requirements into practice: rigorous sourcing, ingredient traceability and quality you can prove, batch by batch.
Get Support: Access ASC expertise, tools and support to prepare for, and retain your certification.
Keep Improving: Stay ahead as science, regulation and industry expectations evolve, with standards and assurance evolving too.

Online access to all relevant ASC Feed Certification Programme documentation.

Find out more

Empowering Proof

Your ASC certification is proof that your mill looks up the supply chain, from raw materials and permits to waste handling and workers’ rights – and inward to your own operations, from quality control to energy use – so seafood buyers can trust what’s behind the feed.

More About ASC

Getting ASC Certified in Seven Steps

Get to know the ASC Feed Standard and ASC Feed Interpretation Manual.

Compare and source an accredited, independent CAB.

ASC publishes the audit date before your assessment begins.

Check your practices against the standard, make any changes needed.

CAB conducts your audit, processes findings and sends draft report to ASC.

Initial report published on the ASC website, so stakeholders can comment.

CAB makes the decision; final audit report is published. If positive – celebrate!

When your certificate is online, you are officially ASC certified.

“Skretting decided to become ASC Feed certified because we believe it is the right thing to do. Since undergoing the certification process, we now have better traceability, a better understanding of what is in feed and the risks associated with these ingredients."

Jorge Diaz, Global Sustainability Manager at Skretting

Which Feed Certification Type?

Single-Site Certification

You’re a single-site feed mill if:

Your operation is formed by one production site.
Your feed mill will be the owner of the ASC-conforming feed produced at the site.
Your feed mill is the only entity authorised to sell ASC-conforming product.

Multi-Site Certification

You’re a multi-site feed mill if:

Your operation has more than one production site to be included in the audit scope.
There is an identified central function that ensures compliance against ASC requirements at all sites included.
You, as the client applying for ASC certification, own or subcontract all the sites.
All the sites are located within the same country.

Worth knowing: There are benefits of multi-site certification:

You can have a coordinated approach to scheduling and undergoing the audit process of multiple sites.
The audit load is reduced compared to separate single-site certifications for each site.

Your feed mill is not eligible for ASC certification if…

It has failed an ASC certification audit within the past 12 months
It has had an ASC certificate withdrawn in the past 12 months
It has been successfully prosecuted in the past 24 months for either:
- Carrying out fraudulent activities confirmed by the statutory authority
- Use or involvement of child labour, slavery, human trafficking or forced labour

Is your production model Segregation or Mass Balance?

Are you operating a Segregation or Mass Balance production model? Segregation gives you full traceability and the right to carry the ASC label. Mass Balance lets you prove your ingredients are accounted for at every stage. Choose one or run both side by side.

Segregation Production Model

You’re eligible if you:

Have an ingredient approval process in place
Identify and separate eligible ingredients from non-eligible, at every stage of production
Keep a documented traceability system

Worth knowing: Once certified and signed a licensing agreement, you’re free to use the ASC label on packaging and documentation.

Mass Balance Production Model

You’re eligible if you:

Have an ingredient approval process in place
Run an ingredient accounting system (IAS), so incoming eligible ingredients always cover the volume of feed you produce under this model
Document a mass balance calculation every year

Worth knowing: No minimum percentage of eligible ingredients required. Once certified, you can claim your feed as ASC-conforming under the licensing agreement – but you can’t use the ASC label on packaging or documentation.

Helpful Documents

Normative documents for feed mills:

Please click here to access the archive of previous versions of the ASC Standards documents.

Supporting documents for feed mills:

Reporting templates for feed mills:

Documents for CABs:

If you cannot find a document listed, please consult ASC’s Controlled Document Master List.

Need our help?

The ASC Certification Toolbox

All the official paperwork: the standards and requirements – easy to navigate and filtered to match your operation.

Your hub for submission templates, supporting documents and helpful resources all in one place – saves you digging for elusive forms.

A glossary of terms used across the ASC standards, defined clearly, so nothing gets lost in translation.

Whatever the question, you won’t be the first to ask. See how ASC has ruled on real cases before, through submitted Variance Requests (VR) and Questions for Interpretation (QA).

Find a CAB

Certification companies, also known as Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs), are independent of the ASC.

CABs must demonstrate to Assurance Services International (ASI) that they have the skills to undertake assessments of our standards. Auditors are also required to participate in standard specific training, including a mandatory exam that they must pass.

To start your certification journey, compare CABs on the ASI website.

Compare CABs

Find Certified Farms, Feed Mills and Suppliers

Every ASC-certified farm, feed mill and seafood company certified to the Chain of Custody Standard is on the record, searchable by name, right across the network.

Request Your ASC Feed Licence

Once you’re ASC Feed Certified, you’ll need to sign a feed licensing agreement – during certification, or straight after.

Signing incurs an annual fee (January – December). Find out more in our ASC Feed Licensing Guide, plus how to use ASC in your marketing.

Reporting Your Data

ASC uses a digital platform called MyASC for all certified entities to report requested certification data, register products and get your product labels approved. Once a feed mill has signed a contract with a CAB, feed mills can request a new user login by sending an email to myasc@asc-aqua.org

Further information on using MyASC can be found in the MyASC user-guide for feed mills.

Training

The ASC Feed Standard Learning Pathway can be found here. Some of these courses are mandatory for ASC-certified feed mill staff or other persons undertaking due diligence and internal audits. Translations are in progress.

There are many details to consider when starting your journey towards ASC certification. We are here to support you. Please reach out to feed@asc-aqua.org with any technical queries or translation requests.

ASC Certification Q&A

Quick answers to help you on your certification journey.

How do I contact someone for help?

Reach out to your local ASC representative, you’ll find their contact details here.

Where can I find more information about choosing an ASC-accredited CAB?

As you begin your ASC journey, it is up to you to choose an independent Conformity Assessment Body (CAB). You can compare certifiers and contact them here.

Where do I find the right ASC certification for my business?

Explore certification routes for farms, feed mills and seafood supply chain businesses to find the one that applies to you – learn more about each of them here.

How do I know if my production model is Segregation or Mass Balance?

The variance depends on traceability and whether you identify and separate eligible ingredients from non-eligible.

Does ASC conduct my audit?

No. ASC does not conduct audits or make certification decisions. Audits and certification decisions are carried out by accredited, independent Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs).

How long does the on-site audit typically take?

It varies by operation, but an on-site audit typically takes around three days.

How do I know when I’m ASC certified?

Your CAB will confirm its decision. Once your certificate is published in the ASC database, you’re officially ASC certified.

Got Questions? Let’s Talk…

Complete the form below; we’ll get back to you. We’re happy to help.

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Feed Mills: Get ASC Certified

Why Feed Mills Choose ASC

Empowering Proof

Getting ASC Certified in Seven Steps

1. Read the documents

2. Choose a CAB

3. Audit date published

4. Prepare for audit

5. Getting audited

6. Report published

7. Getting certified

Congratulations!

Which Feed Certification Type?

Is your production model Segregation or Mass Balance?

Segregation Production Model

Mass Balance Production Model

Helpful Documents

The ASC Certification Toolbox

ASC Programme Centre

ASC Resource Hub

Vocabulary Portal

VR Platform