Compared to livestock farming on land, we have very little knowledge or visibility of how fish and prawns live. As a result, the well-being of these creatures has been largely overlooked for many years, although we breed more fish and prawns than land animals. That’s why at Naturland we decided to include welfare standards for fish and prawns in our Standards for Organic Aquaculture, which were published back in 1996.
A core tenet of our policy is to strictly regulate their feed supply. Fish food must be species-appropriate and made from sustainably sourced ingredients. This way, aquaculture can play its part in alleviating the burden on maritime resources instead of exacerbating the problem of overfishing. As such, Naturland-certified feed contains fish oil and fish meal from excess sustainably caught or organically farmed fish that have been processed for human consumption.
Naturland farms operate under the mantra of “prevention is better than cure”. This means that fish and prawns are farmed as naturally as possible in order to prevent stress and disease. For example, Naturland stipulates a stocking density of 10 kg/m3 for salmon. This means the fish have twice as much room as they do in conventional establishments (up to 25 kg/m3). Not only is this beneficial for animal welfare, but also for the environment.
Our standards contain a wealth of different measures to safeguard animal welfare.
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Lower stocking densities minimise stress, reduce disease pressure and protect the environment.
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The feed we use guarantees that our fish receive the most species-appropriate diet from sustainable, organic sources.
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Our compulsory slaughter protocol regulates the catching, sorting, caging, stunning and slaughtering processes in detail, also with regard to animal welfare, and is regularly verified by Naturland.
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Only natural reproduction is allowed.
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Interfering with prawns’ eyestalks is prohibited.
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The animals are transported in line with strict animal welfare standards.
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They also undergo regular health checks.
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Bodies of water are created and managed naturally so that their ecological function is maintained.
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Wild animals are kept at bay with non-damaging methods wherever possible.
