Aquaculture Standards Interpretation Committee

Standards Interpretation Terms of Reference
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Public input accepted until April 15, 2021

Participation du public acceptée jusqu'au 15 avril 2021

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1. Mandate of the AquaSIC

The committee mandate is to prepare responses to stakeholder questions regarding the CAN/ CGSB-32.312-2018 standards, which will then, through the AquaSIC process, become binding interpretations adopted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the organic aquaculture sector.

2. Profile of the AquaSIC

The AquaSIC will consist of a non-voting CFIA representative (appointed by CFIA) and six
appointed voting members who are industry experts in various sectors of organic aquaculture such as fish and shellfish production, fish feed production, fish processing, aquaponics and fish distribution. The confidential nature and transparency of the work shall be respected by AquaSIC members.

3. Member Appointment

CFIA will appoint their representative. COSA will appoint the industry representatives. Industry representatives will be respected and trusted by their colleagues in the organic aquaculture community. They will have expertise in one or more areas of organic aquaculture. Anyone in the sector may submit nominations or self-nominate for membership. Each nomination must be accompanied by an outline of the candidate’s credentials. COSA members will vote to select new AquaSIC members and fill vacancies.

4. Election of Chair

The members of the AquaSIC shall elect a chair from among AquaSIC members. An election for chair occurs each year. The Chair must be neutral and impartial, chair meetings, determine the conflicts of interest, ensure discussions stay focused on the issue, participate in the agenda preparation, verify that minutes reflect the decisions made at meetings, and act as the spokesperson of the AquaSIC. The chair will have a second and tie breaking vote.

5. Length of Term

Industry appointments to the AquaSIC are for three years, and may be staggered to ensure continuity within the committee. Members may be re-appointed.

6. Member Withdrawal

Any member may withdraw from the AquaSIC by delivering a written resignation to COSA. Any member may be expelled if they do not accomplish their mandate in a competent manner or if they do not respect the AquaSIC Terms of Reference. The chair (or other designated AquaSIC member if the chair is the one under consideration) and COSA shall determine grounds for expulsion of a member and shall communicate decisions to the member.

7. Member Compensation

AquaSIC members will participate on a voluntarily basis. On an annual basis, COSA will review whether an honorarium or some other compensation is deemed to be required, and if so, will work on identifying sources of government funding to cover these costs.

8. Interpretation Process

When a question concerning the Canadian organic aquaculture standard arises, the following steps will be taken to address the question:


1. Questions will be submitted to CFIA. CFIA will acknowledge receipt and refer the questions to the AquaSIC via COSA.

     • CFIA will be a liaison between the AquaSIC and inquiring stakeholders, ensuring the inquirer’s identity is kept confidential.
     • AquaSIC members may submit questions to CFIA.

2. COSA will distribute the inquiry to all members of the AquaSIC.

3. COSA will organize meetings of the AquaSIC to discuss and provide interpretation.
Questions will be addressed according to arrival date except if they are judged as high
priorities by CFIA or COSA. The AquaSIC shall communicate and meet as required to
perform their duties.

4. AquaSIC members must declare any actual or potentially perceived conflict of interest to the AquaSIC as it arises. The AquaSIC will determine the requirement for recusal.

5. The AquaSIC will collect information, discuss and interpret as required to develop a
response to the inquiry. The AquaSIC may bring in non-voting technical experts to assist in their deliberations. Quorum for meetings is 3 voting members. Decisions of the AquaSIC shall be made by consensus. If consensus cannot be reached, a vote of a minimum of 3 members is required and a simple majority of 50% plus 1 is sufficient to confirm a decision.

6. Minutes of meetings shall be recorded by a committee member and decisions logged by COSA.

7. COSA will post the response on the COSA website in both official languages for a 30 day public comment period.

8. AquaSIC members will review and consider all comments and may amend the response accordingly.

9. COSA will receive the final response from the AquaSIC and submit the final response in
both official languages to CFIA and to the Committee on Organic Aquaculture of the
Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) for consideration during the next revision of the standard.

10. CFIA will send the response to the inquiring stakeholder.

11. COSA will track each inquiry, including the recording of date received, date of a draft
answer by the AquaSIC, date submitted for public comment, number of comments
received, and date sent to the CGSB and CFIA.

1.  Is cyro-preserved milt permitted for use in organic aquaculture systems?

6.5.1.a of CAN/CGSB-32.312 allows for the use of methods involving human intervention to extract gametes and fertilize eggs. Cryopreservation is a human intervention that is used during gamete extraction and egg fertilization, and therefore permitted.

2.  We have a challenge with the use of some chemicals additives as calcium chloride and anti-foam emulsion (attachment). These products are sometimes use for fish transportation. Also, I would like to propose to a few companies (fish farms), whose water is deficient in calcium, calcium chloride. CaCl2 is a product that does not modify the pH of the water. This is to improve the calcium content in fish scales. Calcium is absorbed mainly in water for salmonids. The scales provide protection against pathogens. I don’t see this product in the list of products that can be used in organic aquaculture. However, it is found in CAN/CGB-32.311-2015, but must be food grade. Can you guide me on the possibility of using calcium chloride and anti-foam Emulsion in aquaculture?

Calcium Chloride

a) Table 3 “Water amendments and crop nutrition” of CAN/CGSB-32.312 has a note which refers to Table 4.2 of CAN/CGB-32.311 as follows: “NOTE Refer to Table 4.2 of CAN/CGSB-32.311. Only exceptions and additions permitted for aquaculture are included in this table”.

Table 4.2 of CAN/CGB-32.311 states the following on Calcium: Calcium - The following calcium products are permitted: mined calcium carbonate, limestone, dolomite (not slaked) and other non-synthetic sources, including shells from aquatic animals (such as oyster shell flour), aragonite, eggshell meal and lime from sugar processing. Non-synthetic calcium chloride is permitted for treatment of nutrient deficiencies and physiological disorders. Calcium products used in controlled atmosphere storage are prohibited. Shall not cause salt buildup in soil through repeated application. See Table 4.2 Calcium sulphate (gypsum). Calcium chloride is permitted.

Anti-foam b) There is no listing for silicone or related products in CAN/CGSB-32.312 or CAN/CGB-32.311. The proposed additive for anti-foam emulsion is not permitted.

3.  Can products produced in other countries be certified under 32.312?

Operators can have their products certified under the Canadian Organic Standard (32.312) should there not be an organic aquaculture standard in their country. Please note that it the product that is certified not the farms or operators themselves. CFIA accredits Certifying Bodies (CBs) that offer certification services work overseas that could inspect operations outside of Canada. Please see the list of international CBs here. As such, operators under the oversight of a CFIA accredited CB would be able to market their products with the Canadian organic logo within their own countries of operation.

4.  If someone is manufacturing and marketing aquaculture livestock feed, this cannot [be] certified under 32.312 since this is “preparation”. Also, it must fall under section 9 of 32.310. Section 9 d) referencing Livestock Feed was not written with 32.312 in mind. Furthermore, 32.312 states that “Feeds for both terrestrial and aquatic livestock are governed by the same laws and regulations, enforced by the animal feed division of the CFIA”. If we were to follow only 32.312 for the certification of organic aquaculture livestock feed, there are no guidelines as to how much organic content would be required. It could in theory be possible to certify feed as organic with no actual organic ingredients.

Questions:

1) Can livestock aquaculture feed be certified under 32.310 Section 8 and 9?
2) If yes, under which section does it fall under? Just trying to understand the exception of the aquaculture feed. “Therefore, aquaculture products, with the exception of aquaculture feed are treated as though they were agricultural products for the purposes of this section of the standard.

Livestock aquaculture feed does not fall under the scope of CAN/CGB-32.310. Feed for aquatic livestock shall comply with section 6.6.4 of CAN/CGSB-32.312 and can only be certified if it meets the profile described therein.

5.  I have a question regarding wild fish in organic products. I understand that wild fish itself cannot be certified organic, and per the Organic Aquaculture Standards 32-312, wild fish is not included in the definition of livestock from aquaculture. I am wondering then if there are prohibitions to making a “contains X% organic ingredients” claim for a product that contains wild fish. For example, would it be permitted for a product containing 70% organic content and 30% wild fish to claim “contains 70% organic ingredients” on the label?
I ask this question because 9.2.2, 32-310. indicates that an organic product with 70-95% organic content may include up to 30% of “a) non-organic agricultural ingredient subject to the requirements in 1.4 a), 1.4 c), and 1.4 h)”, among other non-organic ingredients and processing aids. If wild animals are not included in the definition of agricultural and aquaculture livestock, does that mean it is not possible to make any organic claim for a product that contains wild animals, even if the product does contain at least 70% organic content?

This question is regulatory in nature and does not fall under the scope of the AquaSIC. This question will be sent back to CFIA for their response. It is correct that wild fish cannot be certified organic.

6.  With the CAN/CGSB-32.312-2018 regulations going into full force with Aquaculture products we have run into some difficulties with the auditing bodies over some interpretations of some sections, particularly how fish meal and fish oil can be applied in the calculation of organic percentage of aquaculture livestock feed.
The sections of direct concern are 6.6.4 and 6.6.6, we are unable to source a sufficient quantity of organic fish meals and oils, as they are the bulk of our organic products, our previous certifier had interpreted section 6.6.4 to mean that meals and oils that comply with section 6.6.7 could be used as part of the organic calculation or be exempt from the calculation similar to water. The certifier we are currently working with said that our product will not be certified organic as it contains non organic fish meals and oils.
As one of the largest feed manufacturers in the world we have excellent sourcing ability and we cannot source this much organic meal and oil, we are unsure how other companies would be able to either. Can you please clarify this section for us? Without being able to use these ingredients as organic (as wild caught products should be, they are the closest thing to natural) we will likely need to cease producing this product, which will have downstream consequences to the organic supply chain (our customers) further reducing the amount of organic materials available.
We hope that this is just an interpretation issue on the part of the certifier as we understand these regulations are just newly enforced. We are hoping you can give us clarity so we can decide to move forward with organic certification or not.

Non-organic fish oil and fish meal are allowed to be used as ingredients in feed fed to organically labelled fish under the conditions stated in 6.6.4, 6.6.6, 6.6.7, and 6.6.8 of CAN/CGSB-32.312-2018. However, if the feed has less than 95% organic ingredients, as defined by the standard, the feed product cannot make an organic claim. Refer to Annex A of the Standard.

1.  Est-il permis d’utiliser la laitance cryoconservée dans des systèmes d’aquaculture biologique?

Le point 6.5.1.a de la norme CAN/CGSB-32.-312 permet l’utilisation de méthodes d’intervention humaine pour extraire les gamètes et fertiliser les œufs. La cryoconservation est une intervention humaine qui est utilisée pendant l’extraction des gamètes et la fertilisation des œufs et elle est donc permise.

2.  Nous avons un problème avec l’utilisation de certains additifs chimiques comme le chlorure de calcium et l’émulsion antimousse (fixation). Ces produits sont parfois utilisés pour le transport du poisson. J’aimerais aussi proposer le chlorure de calcium à quelques entreprises (centres de pisciculture) dont l’eau est pauvre en calcium. Le CaCl2 est un produit qui ne modifie pas le pH de l’eau. Cela vise à améliorer la teneur en calcium des écailles de poisson. Les salmonidés absorbent principalement le calcium dans l’eau. Les écailles offrent une protection contre les pathogènes. Je ne vois pas ce produit dans la liste des produits qui peuvent être utilisés dans l’aquaculture biologique. Cependant, il est mentionné dans la norme CAN/CGB-32.311-2015, mais il doit être de grade alimentaire. Pouvez-vous m’orienter sur la possibilité d’utiliser le chlorure de calcium et l’émulsion antimousse en aquaculture?

Chlorure de calcium

a) Le tableau 3 « Amendements de l’eau et nutrition des cultures » de la norme CAN/CGSB-32.312 comporte une note qui renvoie au tableau 4.2 de la norme CAN/CGB-32.311 comme suit : « NOTE Voir le tableau 4.2 de la norme CAN/CGSB-32.311. Seuls les exceptions et les ajouts permis pour l’aquaculture sont indiqués dans le tableau ci-dessous. »

Le tableau 4.2 de la CAN/CGB-32.311 indique ce qui suit au sujet du calcium : Calcium – Les produits de calcium suivants sont permis :
le carbonate de calcium, le calcaire et la dolomite (non hydratée) d’extraction minière et d’autres sources non synthétiques comme les coquilles d’animaux aquatiques (p. ex., farine de coquilles d’huîtres), l’aragonite et la farine de coquilles d’œufs, ainsi que la chaux résultant de la transformation du sucre. Le chlorure de calcium non synthétique peut être utilisé pour combler une carence en nutriments et corriger des problèmes physiologiques.

Les produits de calcium utilisés dans un entreposage à atmosphère contrôlée sont interdits. L’utilisation répétée ne doit pas entraîner d’accumulation de sels dans le sol. Voir le tableau 4.2 Sulfate de calcium. Le chlorure de calcium est permis.

l’émulsion antimousse

b) Il n’y a pas d’inscription pour les silicones ou les produits connexes dans la norme CAN/CGSB-32.312 ou CAN/CGB-32.311. L’additif proposé pour l’émulsion antimousse n’est pas autorisé

3.  Les produits produit dans d’autres pays peuvent-ils être certifiés en vertu de la 32.312?

Les exploitants peuvent faire certifier leurs produits en vertu de la norme biologique canadienne (32.312) s’il n’existe pas de norme sur l’aquaculture biologique dans leur pays. Veuillez noter que c’est le produit qui est certifié et non les fermes ou les exploitants eux-mêmes. L’ACIA accrédite les organismes de certification (OC) qui offrent des services de certification à l’étranger et qui pourraient inspecter des activités à l’extérieur du Canada. Veuillez consulter la liste des OC internationaux ici. Ainsi, les exploitants sous la surveillance d’un OC accrédité par l’ACIA pourraient commercialiser leurs produits arborant le logo biologique canadien dans leur propre pays d’exploitation.

4.  Si quelqu’un fabrique et commercialise des aliments pour animaux d’élevage en aquaculture, ils ne peuvent pas être certifiés en vertu de la norme 32.312 puisqu’il s’agit de “préparation”. De plus, ils doivent être visés par l’article 9 de la norme 32.310. La section 9 d) qui fait référence aux aliments du bétail n’a pas été rédigée en tenant compte de l’article 32.312. De plus, la norme 32.312 stipule que “Les aliments destinés aux animaux d’élevage terrestres et aquatiques sont régis par les mêmes lois et règlements, administrés par la Division des aliments pour animaux de l’Agence canadienne d’inspection des aliments.”. Si nous ne respections que la norme 32.312 pour la certification des aliments pour animaux d’élevage en aquaculture biologique, il n’y aurait pas de lignes directrices sur la quantité de contenu biologique requise. En théorie, il serait possible de certifier des aliments comme étant biologiques sans aucun ingrédient biologique.»

Questions :
1) Les aliments pour animaux d’élevage en aquaculture peuvent-ils être certifiés en vertu des articles 8 et 9 de la norme 32.310?
2) Si oui, en vertu de quel article? J’essaie simplement de comprendre l’exception concernant les aliments en aquaculture. « Par conséquent, les produits de l’aquaculture, à l’exception des aliments pour animaux d’aquaculture, sont traités comme s’il s’agissait de produits agricoles aux fins de la présente section de la norme.

Les aliments pour animaux d’élevage en aquaculture ne sont pas visés par la norme CAN/CGB-32.310. Les aliments pour animaux d’élevage en aquaculture doivent être conformes à la section6.6.4 de la normeCAN/CGSB-32.312 et ne peuvent être certifiés que s’ils respectent le profil qui y est décrit.

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