Thai shrimp farm gains ASC label

I’m Shrimp Farm 5 in Phang Nga has achieved certification to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) Farm Standard, becoming one of the first farms in Thailand to adopt the new certification.

The certification recognises the farm’s performance across environmental and social impacts, animal health and welfare, legal compliance, traceability and farm management. It also provides a framework for strengthening established practices and identifying areas for continued improvement.

“Congratulations to I’m Shrimp Farm 5 on achieving certification to the new ASC Farm Standard and on reaching this important milestone for Thailand’s shrimp sector,” said Koji Yamamoto, South-East Asia producer engagement lead at ASC.

For Farm 5, the certification process provided an opportunity to examine established practices more closely, strengthen management systems and improve how information is collected, recorded and used to support daily decisions.

Pornthep Limtrakoon, sales manager of Inteqc Global Co., said the process had delivered lessons beyond simply achieving certification.

“Achieving certification under the new ASC Farm Standard is something our whole team is proud of. But what matters most to us is not simply being the first or receiving the certificate. It is what we learned, what we had to question and what we improved along the way,” he said.

Farm 5 already operated a closed, recirculating water-management system, routine water-quality monitoring, shrimp-health monitoring and established procedures for feed, farm inputs and daily operations. Certification encouraged the team to examine how these systems were managed and documented.

The process also strengthened the farm’s focus on prevention, particularly shrimp health and biosecurity. Monitoring water quality, shrimp behaviour and farm conditions helps the team identify potential risks earlier and respond before problems become more difficult to manage.

Environmental and community considerations also formed part of the assessment. Farm 5’s expansion area consisted of existing shrimp ponds previously operated by another farmer. Rather than clearing natural areas for new ponds, the farm leased the existing ponds to continue aquaculture production.

The farm also engaged with the local community on farm management, water and wastewater management, sludge management, environmental policies and channels for complaints and suggestions.

Located in Khuekkhak Subdistrict, Takua Pa District, Phang Nga Province, Farm 5 covers approximately 32.03 ha. It includes 11 grow-out ponds covering about 11.06 ha and has an annual production capacity of approximately 700–900 tonnes of shrimp at full production.