A salmon-processing plant in Norway has become the first in Europe to achieve Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification.
Line Skov Pettersen, quality assurance manager, Vikenco AS, said: “Through determined effort and a strong focus in all areas, Vikenco is proud to be the first European salmon producer to obtain BAP certification. This is a great achievement and enables Vikenco to provide safe quality salmon to an increasingly quality-conscious market.”
The Vikenco facility, located in the Romsdal region, in the northern part of western Norway, processes 24,000 metric tons of Atlantic salmon and salmon trout annually. Product forms include fresh and frozen whole fish, fillets and portions, as well as fresh steaks and frozen belly. The company also produces organic Atlantic salmon. Norway, Europe and the United States are its main markets.
Peter Redmond, BAP vice president of development, pointed out that this is great news for Vikenco but also that a milestone has been reached in the first salmon facility being certified in Europe.
He said: “As the BAP programme grows in importance and resonance within Europe, it is critical that we see producers like Vikenco coming forward and taking a strong stand such as this. We applaud their effort.”
Established in 1973, Vikenco is part of SalMar, one of the world’s largest salmon producers.
