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Training hub launched to fast-track animal welfare in shrimp farming

Responsible Seafood Advocate

New hub offers producers training and tools to measure, improve and demonstrate animal welfare across supply chain

animal welfare
FAI’s new Shrimp Hub offers training and tools to help shrimp producers measure, improve and demonstrate animal welfare across the supply chain. Photo courtesy of FAI.

FAI has launched a new online platform focused on shrimp welfare, aimed at professionals across the shrimp supply chain.

The platform, called the Shrimp Hub, is intended as a centralized resource for shrimp producers seeking to place animal welfare at the center of their production practices.

The launch comes as global farmed shrimp production reaches about 6.6 million tons annually. FAI said it has observed growing awareness of shrimp welfare within the industry and has positioned the Shrimp Hub as a tool to support that shift. The organization said the resource is designed to link welfare considerations with business performance.

According to FAI, shrimp welfare is increasingly viewed as a core component of production systems rather than a standalone ethical issue. The organization said healthier shrimp tend to grow faster, have higher survival rates and require fewer interventions.

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FAI said the Shrimp Hub also expands its training approach by enabling companies to move beyond individual participation and train teams of staff. The platform is intended to support companies seeking formal endorsement of their welfare practices.

“More and more major aquaculture certification schemes are now including animal welfare standards, so the Shrimp Hub has an important role in helping shrimp-producing companies prepare for certification and recognition of their commitment to shrimp welfare,” said Dr. Sara Barrento, FAI e-learning and aquaculture program manager. “To facilitate this, FAI offers two welfare ‘badges’ through the Hub, each marking a new level of achievement and indicating verifiable progress in welfare.”

FAI said companies that complete its newly developed Shrimp Welfare Trained: Foundation Course will receive a Shrimp Welfare-trained badge. The course is designed for shrimp producers, processors and retailers and provides an introduction to shrimp welfare practices, according to the organization. FAI said the training is intended to help companies develop the knowledge and skills needed to begin measuring and improving welfare performance.

“The second level ‘Welfare-assessed badge’ is available to companies with the ‘Welfare-trained Badge’ which also run weekly welfare assessments on at least 10 percent of ponds and collect reliable data for improved decision-making and transparency,” said Barrento.

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FAI is also marking the launch of the Shrimp Hub by adding an Indonesian-language version of its Shrimp Welfare Indicators course. The organization said the course joins a portfolio of seven other languages already available.

“Southeast Asia is a global leader in shrimp production, so it’s vital our courses and welfare assessment tools are accessible to producers across the region,” said Barrento. “The Indonesian course sits alongside those in Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese, while also offered in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic.”

The Foundation and Indicators courses are self-paced and focus on core shrimp welfare indicators, including nutrition, environment, health and behavior. The courses explain how these indicators can be assessed and why they are relevant to shrimp production.

The Shrimp Hub is delivered through FAI Academy, FAI’s global learning platform. The Hub consolidates its training courses, tools and expert guidance in a mobile-friendly, multilingual format dedicated exclusively to shrimp. FAI said the platform is also intended to provide space for specialists and technology suppliers to integrate welfare considerations into future industry development.

Visit the Shrimp Hub here.

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