Bakkafrost : Global Salmon Initiative (GSI) publishes 7th annual Sustainability Report

11.05.2020

Today, the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI) published its annual Sustainability Report, providing 7 years of data across 15 key indicators - 10 environmental and 5 social - for more than 50% of the global farmed salmon industry.

Bakkafrost is a proud member of the GSI and we are pleased to be part of an action-oriented initiative that is focused on driving the industry-wide environmental changes needed to support salmon farming's contributions to healthy, sustainable diets and food systems.

'As one of the founding members of the initiative, we are very pleased to have significantly increased transparency on key sustainability issues. We believe this is critical to the progress made by the industry towards more responsible farming practices.' commented, Regin Jacobsen, CEO of Bakkafrost.

The annual GSI report is a testament to the group's firm commitment to ongoing transparency, and seeing the long-term value in improving the whole industry's environmental performance.

The report highlights a number of industry-wide trends, including:

• A 50% reductionin theuse of antibiotics over the past 7 years, which can be attributed to the improvements in antibiotics stewardship, disease control and fish welfare of GSI members
• In 2019, over 710,000 tonnes of GSI member's farmed salmon was sold as Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certified, representing almost 65% of GSI members' total production. The farms continue on their journey to achieving 100% certification; ASC is recognized as the most rigorous environmental standard for aquaculture
• A shift towards more a holistic approach to preventing and managing sea lice has resulted in a 50% decrease in medicinal use, and a 130% increase in non-medicinal approaches since 2013
• Continuing efforts to accelerate availability and uptake of alternative responsible feed ingredients, such as novel oils (algae and canola crops) and fish by-products, are supporting a growing industry to reduce its dependence on marine ingredientients
• When compared with other animal proteins, farmed salmon represents an environmentally conscious choice, with a lower carbon footprint, requiring less land, and more efficient use of feed resources
• Farmed salmon provides a nutrient-dense food which supports healthy diets

Bakkafrost CEO and GSI Member Regin Jacobsen said: 'The GSI Sustainability Report shows many promising industry-wide trends, but what is most important to see is progress towards ASC certification, an area we have been really accelerating our efforts in. We plan to meet our commitment made to the GSI to have all our salmon produced in the Faroe Islands certified by the end of the year. We are very pleased to see other members making great strides in this area as well.'

Alongside the other GSI members, Bakkafrost is committed to helping feed the world in a healthier, more sustainable way through advancements in responsible salmon farming. GSI members recognize their ability - and responsibility - to drive positive change at scale to offer healthy food, produced with minimal environmental impact; through the publication of this report, we hope to benchmark our progress, and invite you to follow our journey to a more sustainable future.

To view the GSI Sustainability Report, please clickhere.

ABOUT GSI

The Global Salmon Initiative (GSI) is a leadership initiative established in 2013 by global farmed salmon producers focused on making significant progress on industry sustainability. Today, the GSI comprises 14 companies - representing approximately 50% of the global salmon production industry - that are fully committed to realizing a shared goal of providing a highly sustainable source of healthy food to feed a growing global population, while minimizing its environmental footprint, and continuing to improve its social contribution.

GSI member companies are Australis Seafoods S.A.; Bakkafrost; Blumar; Cermaq; Salmones Camanchaca SA; Empresas AquaChile; Grieg Seafood ASA; Mowi; Multiexport Foods S.A.; New Zealand King Salmon; Nova Sea AS; Salmones Austral; Tassal; and Ventisqueros. GSI companies have a presence in Australia, Canada, Chile, the Faroe Islands, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and the UK, and make significant contributions to the economies of these respective countries.

The GSI also has a number of Associate Members in both the pharmaceutical and feed industries, including Benchmark Holdings plc; BioMar; Cargill; Elanco; Merck, Sharpe and Dohme (MSD) Animal Health; PHARMAQ; Salmofood; and Skretting.

For further information on the GSI, please visit or contact us at:

Press Contacts:

Regin Jacobsen CEO

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