Phibro Aqua company profile

Phibro Aqua is a division of Phibro Animal Health Corporation, a diversified global developer and manufacturer of a broad range of animal health and nutrition products for the poultry, swine, cattle, dairy and aquaculture markets.

Growing worldwide demand for high quality protein, combined with expanding human populations and decreasing wild stocks of fish, assures an increased future dependence on aquaculture products and technologies.

The challenge is to develop profitable and sustainable aquaculture practices which will implement advanced technologies. These technologies will allow aquaculture to make a significant contribution to future supplies of aquatic products.

Phibro Aqua has developed a strong team of fish health specialists and scientists with a focus on providing the global aquaculture industry with cost effective health management solutions in order to maximize the productivity of their customer’s farms. This Phibro Aqua team brings customers a full range of expertise in production and operation, fish health management, disease diagnosis and vaccination.

Phibro Aqua operates comprehensive Research and Development facilities. These facilities include a large scale wet lab for clinical evaluation of fish vaccines, medication and feed additives. Phibro Aqua's lab includes a full diagnostic service addressing parasitology, bacteriology, histopathology and molecular-biology.

Visit the Phibro Aqua website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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Skretting launches Feed4Future a carbon neutral feed concept

With food production accounting for around a quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, carbon footprint reduction is one of the most effective ways that supply chains can address the climate change challenge.

Recognising the considerable opportunity to minimise the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated by the aquaculture feed production process and the fish farming sector, Skretting Italy has launched the new carbon neutral feed concept Feed4Future.

This first-to-market offering pairs Skretting's extensive knowledge of the nutritional requirements of aquaculture species with sustainable, lower impact feed ingredients responsibly sourced from carefully selected suppliers.
 

In utilising Skretting's groundbreaking MicroBalance technology and incorporating innovative raw materials and high-quality by-products sourced from the food industry that don't compete with human consumption, Feed4Future diets have a 10 percent lower carbon footprint than standard diets, with the remaining CO2 emissions compensated for by carbon credits*.

'With the spotlight on the impacts of food production, Feed4Future can take Italian aquaculture to new levels of sustainability. With 80 percent of fish farms' carbon footprint related to feed, its application means that together we are taking effective action against one of the most far-reaching issues facing our planet today – climate change,' said Umberto Luzzana, Skretting Italy Marketing Manager.

For those producers looking to go a significant step further with fully carbon neutral farms, Skretting has developed CarbonBalance, a new programme supporting fish farmers and helping them achieve this ambition.

Following an initial assessment of each farm site, Skretting calculates the carbon footprint, identifies measures to reduce it, and then works together with customers to achieve full neutrality. CarbonBalance also provides links to those third-party certification bodies that are already onboard with the programme, and will offer support in communicating these actions to the market. Amongst other things, it will explain what makes these fish carbon neutral and the contribution they are making to sustainable food production.

'In a market that is increasingly informed and sensitive to environmental issues, the combination of Feed4Future and CarbonBalance is a unique opportunity for responsible companies to contribute to healthy and resilient food systems, whilst enhancing their product offering and establishing a stronger competitive advantage,' added Mr Luzzana.

Skretting Italy's new carbon neutral offering is a follow-up of its successful 'Acqua in Bocca!' customer engagement project. Launched in 2017, this ongoing project is designed to help the country's aquaculture value chain develop an effective value proposition based on sustainability that meets market expectations and requirements.

'We're excited about Skretting Italy's approach on sustainability and the process that they have followed by first listening to our customers' needs and then engaging with other players in the value chain to build solutions that create value for the whole industry,' said Trygve Berg Lea, Skretting Sustainability Manager. 'Feed4Future and CarbonBalance are a perfect example of how local initiatives are helping us to fulfil our global ambition of being the lead partner in the journey towards an even more sustainable aquaculture industry.'

*Skretting CarbonBalance's carbon credit scheme is related to the Agrocortex REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) project in Brazil.

Watch a film on this sustainable offering, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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One week remaining to have your say on the new BAP Farm Standard

On the 27th July the Global Aquaculture Alliance announced that Issue 3.0 of the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) Farm Standard is was available for public comment. The 60-day public comment period expires this Saturday on 26th September.

The renamed BAP Farm Standard replaces Issue 2.4 of the BAP Finfish and Crustacean Farm Standard, released on May 23, 2017. The new standard now covers all eligible fed aquaculture species, but BAP will continue to maintain a separate farm standard for salmonids raised in marine net pens. Unfed mollusk species such as mussels and oysters will continue to be covered under the BAP Mollusk Standard. 
 

Image credit: Global Aquaculture Alliance

The new BAP Farm Standard contains a number of new requirements under BAP's four pillars of sustainability — food safety, social accountability, environmental responsibility and animal welfare. Traceability requirements have also been updated.

Specific environmental monitoring approaches for recirculating aquaculture systems and coastal flow-through systems have been added, and the requirements for efficient use of key feed ingredients such as fishmeal, soybean meal and oils have been updated, with new limits set for the BAP fish-in fish-out (FIFO) ratios for many species.

To comment, download the BAP Farm Standard Issue 3.0 comment form, HERE, and submit the form to dan.lee@aquaculturealliance.org and david.yunker@bapcertification.org.

The standard can be downloaded, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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