Shrimp welfare set to reach new heights in Honduras
A total of 68 shrimp farmers in a major sector of Honduran aquaculture successfully completed shrimp welfare training recently, helping to raise health and welfare standards to new heights.
Dr Sara Barrento delivering shrimp welfare training in Choluteca
Facilitated by global aquaculture welfare expert FAI, the two-day course was held in Choluteca for Grupo Granjas Marinas S.A de C.V (GGM), a Honduran company dedicated to the sustainable production of Pacific white shrimp (Litopeneaus vannamei).
The training forms part of FAI’s welfare project aimed at enhancing aquatic animal welfare, born out of a collaboration with several industry partners, scientists and shrimp farms aiming to help farmers monitor and implement welfare improvements.
For GGM, it is one of the continuous improvement activities undertaken within its partnership with global aquaculture company Sea Farms and leading UK retailer M&S to secure a better quality of life for shrimp.
Operating in more than 5,000 hectares and harvesting 18,000 tonnes of white shrimp annually, GGM controls all aspects of its shrimp production in a fully integrated system. Those attending the training represented all parts of the production cycle from farm managers to the feeding and harvesting teams, health and quality assurance staff and wider field workers.
Shrimp welfare training, day two
FAI head of e-learning and aquaculture expert Dr Sara Barrento reflected on the workshop: “The GGM team has strong knowledge of shrimp farming and shrimp needs. The workshop gave the team confidence they are taking good care of their shrimp and provided the tools to record and report the outcomes of their good practice.”
GGM’s General Quality Manager José Luís Avila-Castillo added: “The consumer does not necessarily understand what high welfare shrimp farming looks like, but FAI’s assessment process and scoring system helps decode our farming data into understandable measures indicating successful production from an animal welfare perspective.”
Sea Farm’s Shannon Roberts agreed: “We are delighted to have implemented a standardised approach to assessing welfare. This system helps the farm team identify where changes are needed and provides the right information to the rest of the supply chain, so the final consumer is assured of the ethical responsibility behind the product they are buying as well as the quality.”
For more information please contact:
Amy Wilson: amy.wilson@faifarms.com (Tel: +44 7308553433)
James Marshall: James.marshall@faifarms.com (Tel: +44 7775 424104)
| FAI is a global leader in aquaculture welfare research and development, committed to advancing sustainable and responsible aquaculture practices. With a focus on innovation and collaboration, FAI works with industry partners to drive positive change across the aquaculture sector. |
