Saudi Arabian Code for Responsible Aquaculture Practices.

This Code for Responsible Aquaculture Practices is a nationwide sectoral document aiming at promoting the responsible and sustainable development of the aquaculture industry to assure the high quality of the products, respect of the environmental and societal considerations, and meeting of consumers’ food safety requirements. The Code, primarily based on the international standards and guidelines required by the GAA/BAP farm certification standards, has been developed by the Saudi Aquaculture Society (SAS), under the guidance of the Aquaculture Department of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (ADMEWA) and it serves as the official standard setting document for the certification and labelling of national aquaculture products under the SAMAQ program. The Code is designed to meet four main objectives (1) a well-constructed instrument helping in achieving balanced and proportionate regulation of the industry’s activities; (2) a high minimum standard of practice for every participating aquaculture producer and a framework for industry development through continuous improvement; (3) assurance to all stakeholders, consumers and the general public that Saudi aquaculture is a highly responsible operating food sector; (4) certification of the industry and the subsequent labelling of the products under the SAMAQ logo, to develop marketing and promotional actions for increasing the awareness on the industry’s products.
Among the topics addressed by the Code to promote sustainable aquaculture are (i) duties and responsibilities of aquaculture producers with regard to health and welfare of the aquatic organisms, sustainability of the marine, coastal and terrestrial environments, food safety and quality for human consumption; (ii) aquaculture product certification, in terms of internationally recognized schemes (i.e. the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification scheme, developed by the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), incentives for aquaculture producers. The certification mainly aims at mainly aims at (a) differentiating the Saudi aquaculture products on the retailers’ bench, (b) promoting the intrinsic advantageous attributes of these products, (c) building consumer awareness actions around the message; (iii) property rights and regulatory compliance as regards legal rights for land use, water use, construction, operation and waste disposal; (iv) worker’s health and safety; (v) environmental protection and conservation, including matters related to discharge effluents during water exchange, sediment accumulation, correct feed and feeding practices to reduce wastage, the escape of domesticated and/or non-native culture species or the release of their eggs or larvae; (vi) health and welfare of cultured organisms; (vii) biosecurity to prevent the introduction and/or spread of disease agents and disease on the farm; (viii) food safety and quality, also with regard to antibiotic use, or use of prohibited drugs and other chemical compounds; (ix) record keeping and traceability.