Following extensive industry consultation, the 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 prioritize obtaining ASC Feed Standard certification. There is an incentive to join the program as soon as possible: those feed mills that get certified in 2024 will not have to pay license fees on the volume of compliant feed they produce this calendar year,” the ASC said.

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.

The extension deadline coincides with the planned launch of ASC’s new Farm Standard, which will create a single farm-level standard to provide greater consistency and bring together requirements across all farmed seafood species currently targeted by ASC.

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 that “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 a strong uptake of the Feed Standard already, with Vimifos and Skretting achieving ASC certification for multiple feed mill sites in Mexico and Chile, respectively, and more sites already in the audit process.