First trout farm in Turkey certified to ASC standard

The first trout farm in Turkey has become certified against the ASC Trout Standard for responsible aquaculture.

Two sites of the Gümüşdoğa su Ürünleri Üretim İhracat ve İthalat farm have gained ASC certification after independent assessment by the certifier Bureau Veritas.

“I am pleased to welcome the first ASC certified farm in Turkey to our programme,” said Bas Geerts, ASC Standards Director.

“The ASC programme is growing fast with more than 170 farms certified in 20 countries globally, and a further 90 farms in assessment. It is exciting to see new regions such as Turkey come onboard. Such diversity strengthens our scheme and will ensure greater availability of ASC certified seafood in the market.”

“We take pride in operating according to the highest environmental and social standards for responsible aquaculture,” said Ilkim Funda Taban, Global G.A.P and ASC scheme Manager.

“Gaining ASC certification demonstrates our commitment to responsible farming. We can now give our customers the security that our trout is farmed with the utmost care for people and the environment. We now plan to audit all Gümüşdoğa sites against the ASC Trout Standard. And, once we have been ASC Chain of Custody certified, we can also start processing our ASC certified trout. We would like to say thank you to our technical consultancy Voden Danismanlik for encouraging us and for their great support in helping us implement the changes necessary to meet the requirements of the ASC standard.”

Credible and independent certification

Transparency is key to ASC and underpins all steps of the assessment process. ASC does not assess farms itself. Independent third party certifiers audit farms against the ASC standards to assess whether they are operating responsibly; it is also the independently accredited certification body that issues the farm with its certificate.

Stakeholder views are actively sought as part of the audit process. Farm audits are publically announced at least 30 days ahead of the assessment. And, all audit reports are made public on ASC’s website allowing for stakeholder input through a public comment period. This is a unique feature of the ASC programme that ensures that the principles of inclusiveness and openness are followed.

More certified trout soon in the market

Last summer, Danforel in Denmark became the first ASC certified trout farm in the world, followed by farms in Italy and Denmark.

With the certification of the two Gümüşdoğa su Ürünleri Üretim İhracat ve İthalat sites in Turkey, more supply of ASC certified trout is expected to enter the market in the near future.