Soil Association

Trafalgar Fisheries is proud to have been awarded the Soil Association's Certification in November 1999 for its Brown Trout, and subsequently, for its Rainbow Trout.

In 1989, The Soil association, resolved to develop standards for organic aquaculture in accordance with the following facts:

• The world's fisheries are suffering from mass over-fishing, which sustainable methods of fish farming can help to alleviate.
• That fish culture can provide highly efficient means of converting unusable/low grade protein into usable/high grade protein for human consumption.
• That current conventional systems of fish farming are geared primarily towards intensive production which has led to a tendency to produce similar problems of environment, health and welfare to those of other livestock production systems.
• That consumers are increasingly seeking out marine products that are developed using non-intensive, inherently sustainable methods and that have been independently verified as such.
• That increasingly, fish farming producers are feeling that the less intensive methods they use deserve a greater recognition in the marketplace.
• That the same principles of organic agriculture can be applied similarly to aquaculture, with viable operating systems being defined which conform both to acceptable biological, environmental and welfare criteria and also to the expectations of the consumer as to the quality of organic produce.

The Current Situation

Working and consulting closely with many important groups (Fish farmers, environmentalists, animal welfare experts, food technologists and fish veterinarians) The Soil Association produced an initial draft of Organic Aquaculture Standards. These initial guidelines have been honed and refined over time (Most recently under the auspices of the Organic Fish Producers Association based in Aberdeen and consisting of the best and the brightest from the various fish farming organisations.)
It is widely recognised that organic fish farming is still in it's infancy with regards to development meaning that further and greater refinement of these farming systems and standards is still of paramount importance. The Soil association will therefore continue to devote resources to refining standards and therefore they are continually subject to change. Certification is granted on this basis.