Salmon Processing Plant Is Poland’s First BAP-Certified Facility

The world’s largest value-added salmon processing plant is now Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certified.

Morpol Spółka Akcyjna has attained BAP certification, the Global Aquaculture Alliance announced in late February. It’s Poland’s first ever aquaculture facility to do so.

Located in Ustka on the coast of the Baltic Sea, the 95,000-square-meter facility employs about 3,700 people and processes more than 90,600 metric tons of salmon raw material annually, with the capacity to process more.

Morpol is owned by Marine Harvest Group, one of the world’s leading farmed salmon companies.

“The expansion of BAP certification in Europe is imminent, and we are very excited to offer a tool to demonstrate responsible practices at seafood processing plants and other aquaculture facilities though third-party certification. Several retail and supermarket companies in Europe are now not only accepting BAP certification but also supporting it,” said Marcos Moya, manager of BAP supply development.

“Morpol leading Europe into the future of responsibly sourced aquaculture represents exceptional leadership,” added Mike Berthet, BAP marketing development manager for the United Kingdom.

BAP is the world’s most comprehensive third-party certification program, with standards encompassing environmental responsibility, social responsibility, food safety, animal health and welfare and traceability. There were 1,599 BAP-certified facilities worldwide at the end of January, including 365 processing plants, 50 of which process salmon; those 50 salmon processing plant collectively yield more than 760,000 metric tons of product annually.

About BAP
A division of the Global Aquaculture Alliance, Best Aquaculture Practices is an international certification program based on achievable, science-based and continuously improved performance standards for the entire aquaculture supply chain — farms, hatcheries, processing plants and feed mills — that assure healthful foods produced through environmentally and socially responsible means. BAP certification is based on independent audits that evaluate compliance with the BAP standards developed by the Global Aquaculture Alliance.