Goals & Results for Wegmans Farmed Shrimp Project

Goals

• Reduce damage done by farmed shrimp production to coastal ecosystems and the ocean environment,
• Promote environmental innovation in the aquaculture industry,
• Demonstrate that achieving rigorous environmental standards creates business benefits for producers and retailers,
• Develop performance-based standards that reward environmental leaders in the farmed shrimp industry,
• Provide a model of environmentally aggressive and achievable standards for the industry.

Results

• The new purchasing policy requires farmed shrimp producers to:
• Protect sensitive wetland areas, like mangroves, by requiring that farms are above the high tide line;
• Operate and site their farms in compliance with all local and national laws, and not impede the access of local communities to public resources;
• Use no groundwater, and protect and monitor the quality of groundwater and soils;
• Meet stringent health standards for contaminants like PCBs, ensuring that shrimp they produce are  safe to eat regularly;
• Use fewer wild fish in shrimp feed, helping conserve ocean fish stocks ;
• Eliminate escapes of farmed shrimp into the environment;
• Eliminate the use of antibiotics, other antimicrobials, and pesticides;
• Eliminate the use of genetically engineered shrimp;
• Use best practices to prevent disease and prevent the spread of disease to other farms or wildlife;
• Reduce water pollution by treating all effluent;
• Stock farms only with hatchery raised shrimp;
• Strictly limit the control of wildlife predators at shrimp farms; and
• Demonstrate compliance with the purchasing policy through annual public reports and third-party audits

Posted: 29-Oct-2007; Updated: 29-Oct-2007