WASHINGTON: The US Agriculture Department (USAD) is planning to propose the standards to allow the sale of US-raised organic fish and shellfish, which is expected to be available in as few as two years.
Meanwhile, discussions over what organic fish should eat and whether some of them can be raised in net pens continue taking place.
Miles McEvoy, who heads up USDA’s organic programme, explained that these new rules, which will cover species such as salmon, tilapia, catfish, shrimp and molluscs like mussels, oysters and clams, will be based on a series of recommendations from the government’s National Organic Standards Board over the last decade, Associated Press informed.
Sources consulted by FIS.com consider that “organic seafood would be welcome news for the increasing number of organic shoppers — and for retailers that have profited from their higher prices. It also could help the US farmed fish industry find a premium as it struggles to compete against cheaper imports.”
McEvoy pointed out that the EU and Canada, along with other countries, have been exporting their own organic products to the US. And he added that Wegmans is selling organic seafood imported from Norway and elsewhere.
In addition, other retailers, such as Whole Foods, have decided to wait for the US rules before they sell organic labelled seafood.
However, it is still unclear whether US standards can be successful. In the aquaculture sector, many entrepreneurs fear that the requirements for fish feed will be so strict that their production can become economically prohibitive.
For Sebastian Belle, head of the Maine Aquaculture Association, who has advised the USDA on the organic rules, remarked, “The challenge is, will consumers will be willing to pay for it? The markets will decide that.”
In turn, some consumer and environmental groups have expressed concern the standards will not be strict enough.
Another issue for some NGOs is connected to fish escapes from ocean pens that could contaminate their surroundings.
On this issue, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stated: “It continues to raise the challenge that organic producers and suppliers are now confronting — whether there is going to be an adequate supply of feed.”
The National Organic Standards Board, which advises USDA’s National Organic Program, is still reviewing some vaccines, vitamins and other substances considered essential to aquaculture.
Linda ODierno of the National Aquaculture Association says that despite some of the challenges, the industry is hoping that organics could help consumers feel more confident in US product that is often already more expensive than seafood produced cheaply abroad.
