Netherlands-based yellowtail kingfish producer Kingfish Zeeland has become the first company in Europe to successfully complete a pilot of Global Seafood Alliance’s (GSA) Raised Without Antibiotics Standard.
Part of the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) Vanguard programme, the Raised Without Antibiotics Standard was released in 2021 to provide assurances that programme participants have produced farmed seafood without the use of any antibiotics, whether approved for use by regulatory bodies and/or allowed for the species being farmed.
To achieve the “Raised Without Antibiotics” claim, producers must prove they have the necessary procedures and practices in place to verify that antibiotics were not used through all phases of the life cycle of the year-class and lots in consideration for claims.
Upon passing the audit, producers receive a confirmation letter for the facilities that participated in the programme.
Cees-Jan Bastiannsen, Head of Quality and Sustainability at Kingfish Zeeland said, “We are on a mission to make the perfect fish, innovating and raising the bar not just at Kingfish Zeeland, but in the seafood industry. That’s why we’re proud to have passed the BAP Vangaurd initiative and thank BAP for partnering with us in the same ambition.”
Current annual production capacity at the Kingfish Zeeland facility is 1,500 tonnes of yellowtail kingfish, but the facility is being expanded to reach 3,500 tonnes in the second half of this year.
In the US, permits for the company’s 8,500-tonne capacity facility is progressing as planned.
Kingfish Zeeland was also the world’s first recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) to earn BAP certification in 2018.
