Advice – Risk assessments
Global
- Comprehensive Information: The risk assessment process should supply all essential information for evaluating risks, in this case, climate change and environmental risks. It can also extend to assessing other risks such as social.
- Utilize existing tools: Where possible use credible risk assessments or profiles that already exist for the commodity. Many of these are included in the Toolkit under “Risk assessments”.
- Collaborate: Where risk assessments or profiles are not available, collaborate with other companies to develop these or join existing improvement initiatives. Many of these are included in the Toolkit under “Improvements”.
- Supplier Evaluation: Conduct risk assessments for all suppliers and sourcing locations. Ensure that assessments are regularly updated to account for changes over time, including new suppliers.
- Be sequential: As identified under advice under Traceability, risks may be identified at the sub-national or jurisdiction of the production level. If these “coarse-grained” risk assessments reveal anything other than low risk, then “finer-grained” risk assessments at the unit of production or capture may be needed, which may require additional traceability information.
- Continuous Monitoring: Ensure that risk evaluations remain relevant and up-to-date. Therefore, regularly update risk assessments to reflect any changes in suppliers and sourcing locations.
- Prioritize Improvement Actions: Help address and mitigate potential risks more effectively by using risk assessments as a tool to identify and prioritize actions for improvement. For organizations starting this process, consider focussing on one priority issue to begin with.
- Credible Assurance Systems: Individual feed ingredients or sources of feed may be associated with sustainability standards or certifications. These can be used to assure low climate change and environmental risks as well as other social risks. Often these will be associated with an individual feed ingredient. Many of these single commodity standards are included in the Toolkit under “Standards”.
- Multi-Ingredient and Holistic Feed Standards: Feed standards that address multiple or all ingredients are also available. These comprehensive standards are an important development in the assurance of the sustainability of feed and all of the ingredients it contains. These are also included in the Toolkit under “Standards”.
Based on a review of advice provided by the AFI and other organizations, SFP recommends that risk assessments consider the following components:
To learn more, view the AFI in this Toolkit or download the AFI’s operational guidance on supply chain management, its core principles, and its guidance for companies.
The latest version of the guidance aims to help businesses develop and implement sustainable seafood policies. It is intended for any business that wants to begin or further its journey towards environmentally and socially responsible seafood, regardless of where it may be in the supply chain or sustainability journey.
It was developed with comprehensive input from industry experts and the nonprofit community.
Although focussed on seafood products and not specifically on aquaculture feed and the ingredients it contains, the guidance provides a valuable resource and framework that 1) could be easily applied and adapted to aquaculture feed and feed ingredients, and 2) applies to certain feed ingredients – namely byproducts or trimmings from fisheries and aquaculture.
Its section “Identify, Collect, and Assess” provides useful advice on assessing the environmental and social impacts of your company and supply chain.
The guidelines also provide anonymous real-world examples of, and resources for, assessing risk provided by a range of seafood supply chain stakeholders, NGOs, and international governance organizations that can be applied, adapted, or provide inspiration in addressing the climate change and environmental impacts of aquaculture feed and the ingredients it contains.