Page 20 - AWA Vol.42-No.6 issue

FISHERIES AND FISH FARMING

Ace Aquatec's A-HSU® helps leading shrimp producer meet

emerging welfare requirements
and prepare for evolving customer
requirements.

Preparing for future customer re-
quirements

For export-focused seafood busi-
nesses, flexibility is increasingly
important. Different markets and
customers often have different
specifications, and being able to
accommodate welfare-focused re-
quirements can provide a valuable
advantage in a competitive market-
place.
"Shrimp welfare is becoming an
As shrimp welfare becomes in- sponsible production has helped the increasingly important topic across
creasingly important across the business meet the requirements of the seafood sector," says by Mr Vo
global seafood industry, produc- customers around the world. Van Phuc, General Director of Vina
ers are looking for practical ways Supporting shrimp welfare Cleanfood. "We wanted to take a
to meet evolving customer expec- proactive approach by investing
tations while maintaining efficient through the harvesting process
operations. For Vietnam Clean Sea- As awareness of shrimp welfare in technology that supports more
humane harvesting practices and
food Corporation (Vina Cleanfood), continues to grow, Vina Cleanfood
one of Vietnam's leading shrimp identified an opportunity to strength- demonstrates our commitment to re-
producers and exporters, investing en its harvesting operations through sponsible production."
in Ace Aquatec's Humane Stunner the adoption of humane shrimp stun- This proactive commitment to
Universal (A-HSU®) for Shrimp rep- ning technology. shrimp welfare is something the
resents an important step towards Shrimp Welfare Project is increas-
future-proofing its business and sup- Working in partnership with Shrimp ingly encouraging across the indus-
porting higher shrimp welfare stan- Welfare Project and an international try.
dards. seafood customer, the company in-
stalled Ace Aquatec's A-HSU® for “Shrimp welfare is becoming a
Established in 2009, Vina Clean- Shrimp at one of its farming sites in key priority across global seafood
food has grown into a major export- Vietnam. supply chains, with retailers, food-
er of frozen shrimp, supplying retail service businesses and producers
and foodservice customers across "We wanted to be prepared for cus- increasingly looking for proven
Europe, North America and Asia. tomers who require welfare-focused solutions that support higher welfare
Today, the company exports approx- harvesting practices," explains from standards." says Krzysztof Wojtas ,
imately 10,000 metric tonnes of fin- Mr Vo Van Phuc, Vina Cleanfood CEO at the Shrimp Welfare Project.
ished shrimp products annually and General Director. "As expectations "What's particularly encouraging is
employs around 2,000 people across around shrimp welfare continue when producers take proactive steps
its farming and processing opera- to develop, it is important for us to to prepare for evolving expectations
tions. have the right systems and technolo- rather than waiting for requirements
gy in place."
A key strength of Vina Cleanfood to become mandatory. By investing
lies in its vertically integrated pro- The A-HSU® for Shrimp was in- in humane stunning technology at
duction model. The company has a stalled directly at the farm, where this stage, Vietnam Clean Seafood
unique procurement system in Viet- shrimp are harvested from ponds Corporation is demonstrating lead-
nam, purchasing 100% of its shrimp before being transported to the pro- ership and a commitment to continu-
directly from farmers, while its own cessing facility. Currently used on ous improvement in shrimp welfare.
ASC-certified farm supplies around selected harvests, Vina Cleanfood It's a positive example of how the
30% of the raw material processed has adopted the system to align with industry can work collaboratively
at the factory. This commitment to emerging shrimp welfare standards, to advance welfare standards while
sustainable shrimp farming and re- support responsible aquaculture, supporting long-term sustainability.”

18 Vol. 42 No. 6