Blueyou targets environmental and social impacts of seafood with aquatic animal welfare policy

15 Apr 2024 --- Swiss seafood supplier Blueyou has joined forces with animal welfare organization Aquatic Life Institute to unveil an animal welfare policy for sustainable seafood, pegging it a “first” in the sector. The move calls for the attention of seafood producers, distributors, foodservice companies and retailers toward capture fisheries and aquaculture — a segment the industry often overlooks during meaningful welfare consideration.

Every year, two to three trillion aquatic animals are harvested, caught and killed in fisheries and aquaculture for human consumption. This number is 35 times higher than globally farmed and slaughtered land animals combined.

Blueyou has been addressing environmental and social impacts of seafood harvesting systems for more than 20 years. And now the company is rolling out a specific animal welfare policy that reflects how the seafood industry is just starting to address one of the last key remaining topics for conscious consumers — animal welfare.

“Their [Blueyou’s] specific language around minimizing animals’ stress and suffering, educating the supply chain around them to create a domino effect and a commitment to publicly reporting on progress is an excellent model for other seafood companies to adopt,” says Sophika Kostyniuk, managing director of Aquatic Life Institute.

Aquatic Life Institute was “intricately involved” in providing edits and suggestions to the new welfare policy prior to publication and aligns with Blueyou’s vision and commitment. 

Responsible seafood movement
Blueyou’s new animal welfare policy is a statement of the company’s holistic view of the responsible seafood movement. 

Blueyou recognizes the integral role of animal welfare and health in sustainable food production.As part of the new set of ten impact policies, Blueyou recognizes the integral role of animal welfare and health in sustainable food production.

The initiative will work to improve the conditions of animals raised and caught in their supply chains and origins.

“We believe that future seafood origins must be aligned with the planetary boundaries in terms of the environmental impact dimension, including climate change,” says René Benguerel, founder and managing director of Blueyou. 

“However, of equal importance for Blueyou is the social and community dimension of the seafood industry, as well as the animal welfare of the species being caught and harvested for human consumption.”

The policies include the species affected by indirect side-effects of the industry, such as aquatic animals being used for feed in the farmed sector, as well as those being affected by the wild capture fisheries, such as the bait species and by-catch, reveals Benguerel.

Addressing aquaculture concerns
The policy includes an ambitious plan to address some of the most pressing issues in aquaculture — namely, stunning before slaughter and mutilation by the end of next year.

It also includes “robust” plans for promoting nature-based farming systems and lower trophic species, in addition to stocking densities and water quality.

In wild capture fisheries, welfare considerations are still at the nascent stage, notes the company, which plans to improve animal well-being in the domain.

Blueyou is therefore taking a gradual approach, starting with raising awareness among actors in its supply chain followed by welfare improvements on a pre-competitive basis using guidance from Aquatic Life Institute. 

In wild capture fisheries, welfare considerations are still at the nascent stage.Additionally, their plan of moving toward low trophic species highlights the important links between fisheries and aquaculture by reducing the need for wild-caught fish as feed. 

Eyeing animal welfare
Whether transported by land or sea, animal welfare is an important part of the F&B supply chain and demands attention.

As the global seafood demand spikes, Spanish company Nueva Pescanova aims to open the world’s first industrial octopus farm in the Canary Islands, which has faced backlash from the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Farmed octopus is unsustainable because the species is carnivorous and requires a 3:1 food conversion ratio, Jennifer Hauge at the animal law advocacy organization told Food Ingredients First last month.

Animal protection groups are pushing the EU to halt livestock exports by sea after a new report revealed that nearly half of approved carriers pose a high risk to the welfare of the animals and crew on board and maritime traffic.

To address ethical meat and animal well-being causes in the US, the American Farmers Network recently developed a comprehensive certification criteria for regenerative grass-fed beef production. The move aims to bolster transparency and trust in meat choices for consumers.

By Insha Naureen