Ireland's unspoiled coastline is characterised by pure oceanic waters and pristine beaches. We care deeply for our environment and we take responsibility over sustaining it for generations to come.
We will always protect our natural environment and support the communities in which we operate.
We are more than just a business. As custodians of this environment, we will strive to both minimise our environmental impact and make positive contributions in all that we do. This is our promise to our stakeholders, our customers and our consumers.
Organic can be a confusing term, but it doesn’t need to be. We’ve broken down what organic means in the context of our salmon below.
99% water, 1% fish
This is the key hallmark of organic. Organic salmon have twice as much space to swim than conventional salmon. Only 1% of their area is occupied by the salmon itself, the rest is all water! This allows them to follow their natural shoaling behaviour. So you’ll see loads of leaping salmon if you look out onto one of our sites.
Feed
What we feed our salmon is important too. Our salmon are nourished with a diet consisting only of organic approved natural ingredients from sustainable sources. Their diet also contains familiar things like organic peas, beans, wheat and sunflower as well as organically approved vitamins and minerals. Every element of their diet is carefully considered to ensure our salmon get all the nutrition they need.
Care
We take great pride in caring for each of our sites. Since we’re organic, we never use antifoulants on our nets. Instead, we clean them regularly and rigourously. Maintaining a natural, healthy environment for our salmon enables them to grow strong and develop good muscle tone. It takes a bit more work but we believe it’s the right thing to do.
Still want to learn more about organic salmon? These are some questions we often get asked.
How do welfare and environmental standards differ between organic and conventional salmon?
Salmon are extremely sensitive to their environment. They’ll only grow if the waters they live in are clean and well oxygenated. Carefully monitoring our fish and environment have always been a key focus for our business. We realised the importance of having a clear and decisive environmental policy very early on. That’s why we’re proud to be one of the first salmon producers in the world to hold the International Environmental Standard as set out by ISO 14001. We’re also verified members of Origin Green in Ireland, a food and drink sustainability programme that enables us to set and achieve measurable sustainability targets throughout our day to day operations.
Is your organic salmon labelled? How many types of labels exist for organic salmon?
Our organic salmon are certified by EU Organic Aquaculture Standards, in addition to private label standards in Germany and Switzerland. The three organic certification bodies that certify our organic salmon are Naturland Verband (Germany), Bio Suisse (Switzerland) and the SAI Global Trust Certification. The standards set out by these agencies require organic salmon to be reared in a way that respects the welfare of both the salmon and the environment. Annual audits are conducted to ensure the highest organic standards are being met by producers.
Is the colour of organic salmon different? Are they pinker than conventional salmon?
The pink colour of salmon occurs naturally in the wild as a result of the crustaceans they eat. This pigment is vital for healthy salmon breeding and development, so our organic salmon feeds contain naturally fermented sources of pigment from microorganisms to ensure they contain all the benefit our salmon need.
