ASC farms supported with extended feed supply transition period 

Following extensive industry consultation, Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has extended the transition period for ASC certified farms to switch to ASC compliant feed. 

Farms now have until October 2025, as opposed to January 2025, to change their supply of feed to come from mills that have been certified against the Feed Standard. The change in feed supply is necessary for producers to continue meeting the ASC Farm Standards and to retain their certification. 

Feed mills that haven’t already started the certification process should prioritise obtaining ASC Feed Standard certification. There is an incentive to join the programme as soon as possible: those feed mills that get certified in 2024 will not have to pay licence fees on the volume of compliant feed they produce this calendar year. 

The demand for responsible feed globally continues to grow. With certification, feed mills ensure their readiness to meet this escalating demand and will secure their place in the evolving market landscape, as well as clearly demonstrating their commitment to greater environmental and social responsibility. 

The new timeframe supports farms by giving them more time to make changes to their feed supply chain. It also ensures that the available volumes of compliant feed produced by certified feed mills will be sufficient to meet demand.

ASC farms will continue to meet the feed requirements outlined in their respective farm species standards until they switch to sourcing from a certified feed mill. 

Alexandra Warrington, Senior Coordinator, Feed Standard at ASC, explained, “The decision to extend the compliance deadline for the Feed Standard highlights our dedication to close collaboration with the industry. This extension period reflects our commitment to supporting farms in their journey towards more responsible practices, allowing them the necessary time to adapt and ensuring a robust supply of compliant feed is available to them in the market.”  

There has been strong uptake of the Feed Standard already, with Vimifos and Skretting achieving ASC certification for multiple feed mill sites in Mexico and Chile respectively. With more sites already in the audit process, ASC’s Feed Standard is generating a wave of positive change in feed production and continues to gather momentum. 

About ASC’s Feed Standard

ASC’s Feed Standard tackles one of the biggest potential environmental and social impacts of aquaculture – the production and supply of feed for farmed fish. The ASC Feed Standard is the first standard to consider the impacts created across all key ingredient groups and throughout the ingredient supply chain, aligning with upcoming European Union regulations. This includes all major agriculture crops such as wheat, corn and canola, in addition to soy and palm oil, and marine ingredients. 

ASC’s Feed Standard requires that feed mills meet strict environmental and social requirements; source ingredients from socially responsible suppliers; and use environmentally responsible raw materials. The Feed Standard was launched on 15 June 2021 and became effective on 14 January 2023. A 24-month period was initially outlined for certified farms to transition to compliant feed.