How to Obtain an Organic Aquaculture Certificate

How is an organic aquaculture certificate obtained?

The steps to follow for an organic aquaculture certificate are set out below.

Application

Entrepreneurs who want to set up an aquaculture operation apply in writing to the provincial directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs for the area where the facility will be located.

Surveys and inspections

A technical team formed by the provincial directorate runs on-site surveys and inspections. If the water-quality principles, water volume, water surface, land, and other criteria (distance between facilities, water depth, farming techniques, and environmental impact) are suitable for the intended farming activity, a preliminary survey report is issued for the farming facility, or for the hatchery as applicable. A sketch is prepared showing the facility layout, the water source, any other facilities, and the roads and distances involved. Water samples are taken from the source that will be used by the farming facility or from the production areas, and the entrepreneur is required to run the necessary tests.

Information and documents

• Entrepreneur's application letter
• 1/25,000 scale map
• Preliminary survey report from the aquaculture producer
• Water analysis results report
• Maximum water volume available (DSI)
• Title deed or ownership document
• Site sketch
• The provincial directorate gives the entrepreneur eight months from the application date to submit the preliminary permit documents. This period can be extended by four months.

Preliminary permit

• The provincial directorate forwards the requested documents along with its supporting opinion and requests a preliminary permit from the ministry.
• For applications to operate in reservoir lakes and net-cage farming, if this is the first application for the reservoir in question, the opinion of the ministry's central organisation and the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works is obtained.
• For applications to operate in ponds owned by the Provincial Special Administration, the opinions of the ministry's provincial directorate and the provincial special administration directorate are obtained.
• For applications to operate in ponds owned by the State Hydraulic Works (DSI), the opinions of the ministry's central organisation and the DSI general directorate are obtained.
• For marine operations, the opinions of the Ministry of Transport and the Undersecretariat for Maritime Affairs are requested.
• The ministry's central organisation issues a twelve-month preliminary permit to the entrepreneur so the project can be prepared. This period can be extended by six months, once only.

Project preparation

Entrepreneurs who want to set up an aquaculture facility and have obtained preliminary permits are required to have their project approved by the ministry's central organisation or the provincial directorate. The project is built around the project-preparation instructions and the external framework.

Information required in the project file

• Preliminary permit letter issued by the ministry
• The information and documents requested for the preliminary permit
• Reports on the areas where the facility will be built
• Reports from the local health authority confirming there are no health-related objections
• Reports from the relevant authority confirming there are no transport-related objections
• Reports from the relevant authority confirming there are no objections to the water source being used

Project approval authorities

• Production projects for carp, trout, sea bass, and sea bream, regardless of capacity, and hatchery projects for marine products with production capacity up to 2,000,000 units per year are approved by the provincial directorates.
• Production of other species regardless of capacity, experimental production projects, and production projects dedicated to organic aquaculture are approved by the ministry's central organisation.
• Projects to be carried out in ponds are approved by the provincial directorates.
• Farming or rehabilitation projects for areas where fishing is carried out are approved by the ministry's central organisation.