Washington, D.C., U.S.A.-based nonprofit Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) has certified all of Cermaq Chile’s salmon-farming operations in the southern Magallanes region.
The certification represents the first HFAC venture into salmon farming and acknowledges that the company integrates animal welfare practices throughout the production chain, from eggs to slaughter, Cermaq Chile said in a release.
“This certification represents the entry of HFAC into the certification of aquatic animals, with a view to being standardized for Pacific or coho salmon in the future,” HFAC Latin America and Asia Director Luiz Mazzon said. “It is an incredible expansion of the scope of our activities, which are already being carried out in more than 20 countries and with more species.”
Cermaq Chile will now look to get certified in the remaining regions where it operates, he said, without commenting on a timeline.
The company said that animal welfare analysis originally began two years ago in the Magallanes region, with a diagnosis of the situation, a definition of standards, as well as a training and implementation plan. What the company soon developed were guidelines that included detailed practices aimed at ensuring salmon live in conditions that respect their natural needs, covering topics ranging from water quality to available space to management methods that reduce stress and promote fish health and sustainable growth.
“Animal welfare allows us to improve the productive and sanitary parameters in the cultivation of our fish, which is directly related to the sustainability approach that Cermaq has been working on for quite some time,” Cermaq Chile Technical Manager Marcelo Imilan said. “This certification is very relevant for the company, as it allows us to demonstrate our commitment in this area.”
The official launch of HFAC’s seafood certification took place during the Chile-based Aquasur 2024 international conference in March, billed as the largest aquaculture trade fair in the Southern Hemisphere.
According to HFAC’s standards for farmed Atlantic salmon, the main objectives of the Certified Humane program are to improve the lives of animals in the food production industry, make the public and farm producers aware of the existence of animal welfare best practices, help producers adopt production practices that consider greater animal welfare, and achieve maximum credibility in animal welfare standards, as well as inspection and certification processes.
