Shrimpers Working to Get Back Certification

The prestigious Aquaculture Stewardship Council suspended certification of four Belizean shrimp farms in April. But the local Shrimp Farm Association claims that the farms – Paradise Shrimp Farm, Tex Mar Farm, Bel-Euro Aquaculture and Tropical Aquaculture Investment Farm, actually chose to opt out of the audit for the time being and that it does not impact their ability to export shrimp. Agriculture Minister Godwin Hulse concurred, but indicated that the farms do want proper recognition and will re-submit to the audit in the near future.

Godwin Hulse

Godwin Hulse, Minister of Agriculture

“I think it is four that are still certified and the others, it’s a voluntary thing; to my mind it’s not affecting any export or any production of shrimp. It’s a badge of honor in a kind of sense – it’s a kind of social institution that does so; it says, ‘You’ve been doing everything right, you’ve been handling your employees right, etcetera, etcetera;’ and I am confident that they will get back at some stage into being recognized again by the accrediting body. But to my knowledge and what we have been told and what my C.E.O. has been told, it has not affected, in any way, the progress we are making toward the industry rebounding and getting back heavily into the export market.”

A release by the Belize Shrimp Farm Association following the announcement in international media recognizes that the A.S.C. label is highly coveted worldwide. It is important for Belize because it helps to drive the industry’s unhindered access to value added markets across the world.