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Home  Fish feed Feed issues Policy for sustainable feeds
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Policy background for sustainable feeds for aquaculture |
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The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the European Union's instrument for the management of fisheries and aquaculture. It was created to manage a common resource and to meet the obligation set in the original Treaties of the then European Community. Because fish are a natural and mobile resource they are considered as common property. In addition, the Treaties which created the Community stated that there should be a common policy in this area, that is, common rules adopted at EU level and implemented in all Member States. The Common Fisheries Policy shall ensure exploitation of living aquatic resources that provides sustainable economic, environmental and social conditions. For this purpose, the Community shall apply the precautionary approach in taking measures designed to protect and conserve living aquatic resources, to provide for their sustainable exploitation and to minimise the impact of fishing activities on marine eco-systems. |
Building European Parlement Strassbourg, courtesy EU |
It shall aim at a progressive implementation of an eco-system-based approach to fisheries management. It shall aim to contribute to efficient fishing activities within an economically viable and competitive fisheries and aquaculture industry, providing a fair standard of living for those who depend on fishing activities and taking into account the interests of consumers.
Policy documents for sustainable aquaculture feeds
As it is now recognised that aquaculture is a major and growing provider of food to mankind and that, because of its high usage of fishmeal and fish oil, is exerting increasing and undue pressure on strictly limited marine resources. Therefore, the case for developing sustainable alternatives to fishmeal and oil in aquafeeds is overwhelming. The clear need is to replace fish meal and fish oil simultaneously without affecting the growth performance, or the health and welfare of the fish, or its health benefits, or its acceptability to the consumer. The Commission has reacted to this position through a statement on Aquaculture feeds in the strategy for the sustainable development of European aquaculture, COM(2002)511 published in September 2002. In this strategy, the Commission proposed to promote research to find substitute protein sources in fish feed formulation, and states: “Aquaculture feeds. Fishmeal and fish oils are essential constituents of fish feeds. In 2000, no more than 35% of world fishmeal production went into fish feed. In the last decade the amount of fishmeal used to produce feed for fish farming has considerably increased, but the annual world fishmeal production has remained static. This because as aquaculture has grown it has diverted a growing portion of the fishmeal supply from its traditional use as feed for land animals. The use of fishmeal in animal feeds is determined by economics; when fishmeal prices increase, feed formulators use other protein sources from plants (soy, corn, wheat) to replace them in land animal feeds. The elimination of fishmeal from aquaculture feeds would not have a net effect on global fishmeal production in the short term, as fishmeal price would fall and higher levels would be used in poultry and swine feeds.
 Room in Brussels, courtesy of EU |
However the intensification of freshwater fish aquaculture in Asia may absorb by the end of this decade as much as 70-80 percent of world fish oil production and at least 50 percent of fishmeal production, creating problems of supply. This resource being limited, it is extremely important to continue the research effort to find substitute protein sources in the fish feed formulation.” The Strategy for Sustainable Aquaculture has been endorsed by the European Parliament, following an own-initiative Hearing on European Aquaculture and has also been supported by the Economic and Social Committee of the European Union. |
EC research projects on sustainable feeds for aquaculture
| Research towards sustainable feeds for aquaculture has been funded and supported by the European Commission since 1998, with the start of the Fifth Framework Program (FP5). In FP5, under Key action 5 (Sustainable agriculture, fisheries and forestry) of the Quality of Life programme, funding of sustainable feeds research projects started. Under FP6, sustainable feeds are addressed mainly within “Food Quality and Safety”. For FP7, it is anticipated that research towards sustainable feeds for aquaculture will be mainly addressed within the Food, Agriculture, Fisheries and Biotechnology Research Theme. The primary aim in funding food, agriculture, fisheries and biotechnology research under FP7 is to build a European Knowledge Based Bio-Economy (KBBE) (food, feed, forest, fisheries, agriculture, aquaculture, chemistry, etc.) by bringing together all industries and economic sectors that produce, manage and exploit biological resources and related services, supply or consumer industries, such as food, fisheries, forestry, agriculture, etc. |
Meeting European parlement, courtesy of EU |
The summaries (Technical Leaflets) on past and current research projects
related to sustainable feeds in aquaculture are listed below.
FORM
Thematic network on fish meal and oil replacement |
 FORM |
GUTINTEGRITY
Are appetite, intestinal structure and function of salmonids adversely affected by feeds containing vegetable lipids? |
GUTINTEGRITY |
PUFAFEED
Subsituting fish oil with marine microalgae in fish feed production |
PUFAFEED |
RAFOA
Using vegetable oils as alternatives to fish oils in aquaculture |
RAFOA |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 19 August 2010 )
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