This reinforces the rapid success of the ASC Tilapia programme. Two additional farms have recently been assessed and are awaiting the results. A promising number of tilapia farms are scheduled to be audited in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Malaysia and Taiwan.
The pangasius scheme is also building momentum. Several farms have already been audited and are awaiting the outcome. More pangasius farms are lined up for assessment in the near future.
The ASC certification programmes for the three remaining standards that have been handed over to the ASC from the Aquaculture Dialogues are making steady progress. The Audit Manuals for the ASC standards for abalone, bivalves and salmon are currently undergoing pilot testing around the globe.
The outcome of these pilots will be processed into a final Audit Manual per standard before these can be launched to the market. The finalised Audit Manuals will be used as a base for ASC's auditor training courses. Training on the standards including exams is a mandatory requirement for ASC-accreditation of certification bodies that wish to do farm audits against the ASC standards. This helps safeguard audit quality and consistency.
Standards for salmon, bivalves (mussels, clams, oysters and scallops) and abalone are expected to go live during the first quarter of 2013. Certified products with the ASC logo are anticipated to be available in stores a couple of month thereafter. The standards for trout and shrimp are under development by the Aquaculture Dialogues. They are expected to be handed to the ASC in due time.
