Organic salmon standard to be debated at Soil Association conference

The Soil Association, in partnership with Aquascot and Waitrose, is hosting a conference on organic salmon farming at the Tolbooth in Stirling on March 23, reports the online magazine Fishupdate. Speaking to FISHupdate, Aquaculture Development Programme manager Peter Bridson said developing a standard for organic salmon farming has not been a straightforward process. Evidence of this can be seen in the Soil Association's unique decision to classify its aquaculture standards as interim, and in the initiation of a three-year development programme. "Despite the availability of organic salmon on shop shelves and a huge demand from consumers, there is still a need for continued development of the standards and to address the specific concerns of a variety of stakeholders," Mr Bridson said.

"The Soil Association is keen to promote the positive aspects of its salmon standards, but has taken the bold move for this conference of choosing to debate the most controversial ones in a public forum." Three key topics have been chosen for workshop style debates - feed sustainability, wild salmonid interactions and nutrient losses - and a key stakeholder, the consumer, will be addressed in a talk by top Scottish chef Nick Nairn.

Further details: Emma Watson: ewatson@soilassociation.org