First blue mussel farm ASC certified

Loch Fyne Oysters has become the first mussel farm in Scotland, and the first blue mussel producer worldwide, to receive certification against the ASC bivalve standard.

The farm received the certification for its responsibly farmed blue mussels after an independent assessment by certifier Acoura.

“I would like to congratulate Loch Fyne Oysters for their achievement to become ASC certified. It is great to now have blue mussels in the programme, and it shows the response to a growing market interest in responsibly farmed seafood. As part of a growing trend of farmers that benefit from the increased interest in seafood produced with care for the environment, workers and local community, I would like to extend a warm welcome to our programme to Loch Fyne Oysters,” said Esther Luiten, ASC’s Commercial Director

Blue mussel farming with heritage

Loch Fyne Oysters, located in Cairndow in the west coast of Scotland in Argyll, has been active since the 70s and have been producing mussels for 20 years. The company is now catering to blue-chip companies across the world including award winning Michelin starred restaurants, and prestigious retailers such as Selfridges and Globus.

“We are very proud to be the first bluemussel farmer in the world to receive this certification from ASC, which is recognition of Loch Fyne Oysters dedication and hard work to provide ethically grown and environmentally friendly mussels to our customers around the globe,” said Loch Fyne Oysters Ltd Managing Director Cameron Brown.

“Our teams have worked tirelessly to ensure our mussel product maintains a low carbon footprint and we strive to make a positive contribution to the local community and economy. With this certification, our customers around the world will have the confidence they are purchasing the best mussels, harvested under the best practices.”

A standard for responsible bivalve farming

The ASC bivalve standard carries the most robust global requirements for clam, mussel, oyster and scallop farming. Farms that are certified against the standard must demonstrate that they use responsible aquaculture practices that minimise their environmental and social impact. Farms are assessed according to a third-party certification model. Third party certification ensures that an external, independent conformity assessment body performs all farm audits and determines if they comply with the criteria in the standard.

Chain of Custody certification applies to all ASC certified seafood and ensures full traceability from farm to fork. Every distributor, processor, and retailer trading in ASC certified seafood must have effective traceability systems in place. This assures consumers that the ASC labelled seafood they buy has been legally sourced from certified producers that minimise their impact on the environment and care for workers and local communities.