Binca Seafoods pangasius farm in Vietnam: first aquaculture installation worldwide in accordance with GLOBALG.A.P standards

Binca Seafoods, founded in 1995 and headquartered in Munich, is an independent private German enterprise importing deep-frozen seafood delicacies and associated specialties designed for the needs of wholesale and retail trade and for the industry generally. With an emphasis on seafood products from Asia, the corporate philosophy is that top quality products can only be achieved through the successful interaction of the entire value chain, from production right through to processing and logistics. Binca Seafoods, in collaboration with its networking partners, vigorously pursues this goal by operating its own farms on the basis of a sustained strategy, by carefully selecting suppliers and by continuously monitoring quality standards locally. Furthermore, sustainable economic management of seafood as a natural resource is an integral part of the company vision, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to ESE.

This interaction of quality, responsibility, transparency and commitment has resulted in a project that is exemplary and at the same time successful and which has now reached a new level: the pangasius farm in An Giang province, located approximately 150 kilometers west of Ho Chi Minh City and jointly operated by

Binca Seafoods and its Vietnamese partners Ms Nguyen Thi Dung and the NTACO CORPORATION. As early as 2005, our seafood specialists, working in collaboration with Naturland, succeeded for the first time ever in farming pangasius in an organically certified aquaculture approach, using the corporate brand Aquanatur. Naturland is one of the world's most important organisations dedicated to organic farming. Our eco-aquaculture operations provide the living organisms with natural surroundings and an adequate space. Feed ingredients stem from non-genetically modified produce grown on certified organic farms. The preventive use of chemotherapeutic agents and antibiotics is not permitted. Our eco-aquaculture operations provide small-scale farmers a reliable and long-term livelihood. As a result, these goods can be produced while still maintaining a healthy balance between man and nature.

Binca Seafoods, together with its partner NTACO, once again underlines its pioneering role by obtaining the first pangasius-certification worldwide in accordance with GLOBALG.A.P-standards, the latter representing a new program for aquaculture, which Binca Seafoods has joined as an Aquaculture Sector Committee Member. "Being one of the initiators of the project since 2007, we and our network of partners were absolutely convinced from the very beginning that the GLOBALG.A.P initiative offers perfect vertical integration," according to Binca Seafoods director Peter Niedermeier. GLOBALG.A.P is a private sector body that sets voluntary standards for the certification of agricultural products around the globe. GLOBALG.A.P certification of enterprises increases consumer confidence in food safety, as well as in environmental and labour standards. The pangasius farm is operated under its own brand FISH´n JOY in accordance with the GLOBALG.A.P certified farming standards in terms of fish health, feed suppliers, traceability, environmental protection and last but not least social accountability. By means of the unique GLOBALG.A.P number (GGN) on the packaging, the goods can be tracked all along the entire supply chain right through to the certified business. To validate the certificate online please visit https://database.globalgap.org . Roughly 11 000 tons of pangasius is processed annually at the IFS- and BRC-certified NTACO CORPORATION plant.