PHILIPPINE NATIONAL STANDARD ____:2016
Code of Good Aquaculture Practices (GAqP)forOysters and Mussels
RevisedDraftPNS
For Posting to WTO
27 July2016
Page1of61       Scope 1
ThisCodeofGoodAquaculturePractices (GA qP)foroysters and mussels coverspractices 2
thataimtopreventorminimizetherisksassociatedwithaquacultureproductionin 3
brackish and marine waters . This Co de coversthefollowingaspectsofaquaculture 4
productionaddressing foodsafety,environmentalintegrity,andd) socio-economic 5
welfare. 6
ThisCodeappliestoaquaculturefarmsand/or production area intended for oysterand 7
mussel farming andconsistsofminimum c ompliancerequirements. 8
2       Refer ences 9
The titles of the publications referred to in this Standard are listed in the inside back cover.10
3Definition of t erms 11
12
3.1Aquaculture farm refers to an aquaculture production unit(either land -or water- 13
basedsuch as but not limited to estuaries and coastal waters ); usually consisting of holding 14
facilities (tanks, ponds, raceways, cages), plant (buildings, storage, processing), service15
equipment and st ock. (modified fromCAC/RCP 52 -2003) 16
17
3.2Chemicals refer to any substance either natural or synthetic that can affect the live 18
oysters and mussels , its pathogens, and the water, equipment used for production or the land 19
within the aquaculture establishment. (CAC/RCP 52 -2003) 20
3.3Competent authority refers to abureau or agency mandated by law with the 21
responsibility fortheimplementation of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures . 22
3.4Harmful algal bloom (HAB) refers to an event associated with the occurrence of 23
microalgae which cause harmful effects to the environment, living organism and to human.24
3.5Production area refers to any sea, estuarine or lagoon area where oysters and 25
mussel are collected and cultured26
27
4.Site selection 28
29
4.1Location 30
31
4.1.1Production area s hould be located in anenvironmentally suitablearea designated by 32
the competent authority.33
34
4.1.2Production area inwhich the owner has aproof of legal right or privileges ( license to 35
operateorbusinesspermitfromthe localgovernmentunit) indicating the farm location 36
through coordinates and effectivity period . 37
38
4.1.3Production area should comply withexisting environmental regulations by competent 39
authority.40
41
4.2    Lay-outand design 42
43
4.2.1Farmdesignand layout shouldprevent cross contaminationand damage to existing 44
marine habitats . 45
46PHILIPPINE NATIONAL STANDARD ____:2016
Code of Good Aquaculture Practices (GAqP)forOysters and Mussels
RevisedDraftPNS
For Posting to WTO
27 July2016
Page2of64.2.2Production area should be designed with proper space allocation for its facilities. Area 47
and space allocation should provide ease of navigation and free flow of intertidal water.48
49
4.2.3Culture facilities shouldbedesignedand constructedtoensureminimalphysical 50
damage tooyster and mussel duringgrowingandharvesting. 51
52
4.2.4Designand materials (e.g. bamboo stakes and rubber tires) should not cause siltation 53
of the area and negative environmental impact s. 54
55
5Facilitiesandsanitation 56
57
5.1       Facilities 58
59
5.1.1Solidand liquidwastes shouldbekept in confine darea and its disposal should be 60
compliant with existing regulation s. 61
62
5.1.2Fueland/orchemical substances (sanitizerandreagents),shouldbe stored separately 63
andin safe condition. 64
65
5.1.3Regular repair and maintenance should be undertaken to preserve the good physical 66
condition of the facility.67
68
5.2    Sanitation 69
70
5.2.1Production area anditssurroundings shouldbemaintained in a cleanandhygienic 71
condition. 72
73
5.2.2Containers,equipmentandfarmfacilities shouldbemaintained ingoodconditionfor 74
ease in cleaning and sanitizing.75
76
5.2.3Adequateprocedures for cleaninganddisinfectionofcontainers,equipmentand farm 77
facilities shouldbeinplaceandimplemented. 78
79
5.2.4Cleansing materials and disinfectants should be non -toxic and pose no environmental 80
hazards.81
82
5.2.5Wild and domestic atedanimalsshould not be allowed in the production area and 83
vicinities to prevent fecal and other hazardous contamin ations. 84
5.3Wastesremoval 85
86
5.3.1Wastesshouldbeproperly segregated and removedatleastonce aday. 87
88
5.3.2Wastescontainersand thewastestoragepremisesshouldbe cleanedand sanitized 89
after eachuse. 90
91
5.3.3Wastesshouldbeproperly stored suchthat it isnot asourceof contamination. 92
93
6Management 94
95
6.1Production m anagement 96
97
6.1.1Disposal of natural waste slikeexcessive barnacles should be properly managed. 98
99
6.1.2Propagation practicesin the production area shouldminimize riskofcross- 100
contamination. 101PHILIPPINE NATIONAL STANDARD ____:2016
Code of Good Aquaculture Practices (GAqP)forOysters and Mussels
RevisedDraftPNS
For Posting to WTO
27 July2016
Page3of6102
6.1.3Seeds or spats should be sourced from HAB-free areas and areas without history of 103
HAB.104
105
6.1.4When necessary, depuration and relaying practices should be resorted to maintain 106
product safety and quality.107
108
6.2Waterquality 109
6.2.1Water quality should be regularly monitored to determine its suitability and product 110
safety.111
112
6.2.2Water should be far from sources of pollution, suitable ,and free from bacterial and 113
heavy metal contamination . 114
115
7Oysters and m usselsdiseases 116
117
7.1Production area shouldfollow existing protocol on aquatic animalhealth. 118
119
7.2Measuresfor thenotificationand controlofsignificant diseasesofoyster and mussel 120
shouldbeinplace. 121
122
8Harvestingand handling 123
124
8.1Harvesting 125
126
8.1.1Harvestingequipment(e.g. containers and vehicles for harvested animals) and 127
paraphernalia shouldbeeasy to clean, andkept insanitaryandgoodoperating condition. 128
129
8.1.2Harvesting should be done in a manner that will not expose the oysters and mussels 130
to high temperatures.131
132
8.1.3Oyster and mussel shouldbequicklyandhygienicallyhandled,usingpracticesto 133
maintain the good quality of the product.134
135
8.1.4Harvested mussels and oystersshould be disease and toxin -free. 136
8.2Post-harvesthandling and transport 137
8.2.1Post-harvestingequipmentandparaphernalia shouldbeeasy to cleanandkept in 138
sanitaryand good operating condition. 139
140
8.2.2Operationssuchas sorting,weighing,washing,draining and packing shouldbe carried 141
outproperly,hygienicallyandwithoutdamage totheproduct. 142
143
8.2.3Transportcontainer and other implements shouldbecarriedout in cleanandeasy to 144
cleanfacilities (sacks, containers,vehicleetc.). 145
146
8.2.4Oystersand mussel sshouldbe transportedunderphysical conditionswhichdonot 147
adverselyaffecttheirmarketability and consumer acceptability . 148
149
9Personnel health and hygiene 150
151
9.1Allworkersshouldbe physically fit. 152
153PHILIPPINE NATIONAL STANDARD ____:2016
Code of Good Aquaculture Practices (GAqP)forOysters and Mussels
RevisedDraftPNS
For Posting to WTO
27 July2016
Page4of69.2Workers should be trained on farm level hygienic practices to ensure they are aware of 154
their roles and responsibilities for protecting aquaculture products from contamination and155
deterioration throughout the production cycle.156
157
9.3Personnelwho could contaminateproducts shouldbeexcludedfromworkingand 158
handlingofoystersand mussel s. 159
160
9.4Workers shouldwearsuitableand appropriate working clothesand protective gears . 161
162
9.5Workers shouldwashtheirhandseachtimebeforecommencingpostharvest work. 163
164
9.6Smoking, spitting or drinking alcohol ic beverages in the working and storage premises 165
should be discouraged . 166
167
10    Traceability and record keeping168
169
10.1Adequate recordson the origins and species used and management activities s houldbe 170
kept in the production area. 171
172
10.2Records for themovementofoystersand mussel sshouldbemaintained and reported 173
for traceability in the event of disease outbreak . 174
175
10.3Recordsonharvesting shouldbe maintained. 176
177
10.4Adequate recordsonthebuyersoffinalproductsshouldbe kept (one-step-forward 178
traceability). 179
180
10.5All records should be recorded, kept, maintained and made accessible during culture 181
and for at least 24 months after harvesting. 182
183
11Laborandcommuni ty 184
185
11.1Childlabor 186
Anti-child labor, laws, policies andpracticesshouldbe observed. 187
188
11.2Anti-discrimination/unequal treatment of employeepolicy 189
Workers should not be discriminated against on the basis of gender, race, religion, culture, 190
age,etc. 191
192
11.3 Training on safety 193
Training on safety procedures should be conducted for the workers.194
195
11.4First aid 196
197
11.4.1Firstaid kit shouldbeavailablein adequate quantity and conveniently accessible at 198
theproduction area . 199
200
11.4.2Laborers shouldbeable todemonstrateawarenessand application ofthedifferent 201
firstaidmeasures. 202
203
11.5Wagesandworking hours 204
205
11.5.1Workers should receivefairanddecent salary consistentwithexisting lawsand 206
other regulations. 207
208PHILIPPINE NATIONAL STANDARD ____:2016
Code of Good Aquaculture Practices (GAqP)forOysters and Mussels
RevisedDraftPNS
For Posting to WTO
27 July2016
Page5of611.5.2Working hours or piece wage rates should be based on existing labor laws and 209
regulations.210
211
11.6Livingconditions foremployees 212
213
11.6.1Livingquartersof stay-inlaborshouldbe safe,clean, good habitable condition and 214
convenient.215
216
11.6.2Potablewaterin adequate supply andsuitable toilets(e.g. portal let) shouldbe 217
availableand properly maintained . 218
219
11.7SocialAspects 220
221
11.7.1Farmsoperation sh ouldobserve the rightsof host local community on the use of 222
public land ,infrastructures , fishing grounds ,and water resources following existinglaws 223
and regulation s. 224
225
11.7.2Harmonious, productive and mutually beneficial relationship with the local 226
community should be maintained to foster responsible business social responsibility. 227
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263PHILIPPINE NATIONAL STANDARD ____:2016
Code of Good Aquaculture Practices (GAqP)forOysters and Mussels
RevisedDraftPNS
For Posting to WTO
27 July2016
Page6of6______________________________________________________264
References 265
The following referencedocumentsare indispensable for theapplication of thisdocument. Fordated 266
references,only theedition citedapplies. Forundated references,the   latesteditionofthe   referenced 267
document   (includinganyamendments)applies. 268
ASEAN,2015.StandardonASEAN G ood Aquaculture Practices (GAqP)for Food Fish ( Part1). 269
Establishmentof Standardon ASEAN GAqP Project. Ass ociationof Southeast Asian Nations- 270
Australia De velopmentCooperation ProgramPhase II (ASEAN-ADCPII).ASEAN Secretariat, 271
Jakarta, Indonesia. 272
273
ASEAN,2011.StandardonASEAN Good Aquaculture Practicesfor Shrimp Farming (ASEANShrimp 274
GAP). AssociationofSoutheast Asian Na tions. ASEANSecretariat, Jakarta,Indonesia. 275
276
BFAR Fish eries Administrative Order214 s.2001. Codeof Practice f or Aquaculture.Bureauof Fisheries 277
and Aquatic Resources. Departmentof Agriculture. Quezon City, Philippines. 278
279
CAC RCP52-2003Amended 2-2013. Recommended Codeof Practicefor FishandFisheryProducts. 280
CodexAlimentarius Commission. Rome,Italy. 281
282
DENR Administrative Order No. 34 s. 1990. Revised Water Usage and Classification. Water Quality 283
Criteria Amending Section Nos. 68 and 69, Chapter III of the 1978 NPCC Rules and Regulations. 284
Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Quezon City, Philippines. 285
286
FAO,2011.Technical Guidelineson Aquaculture Certification. Foodand AgricultureOrganizationofthe 287
United Nation. Rome,Italy. 288
289
FAO,2011. Codeof ConductforResponsible Fish eries.Foodand AgricultureOrganizationofthe United 290
Nation. Rome,Italy. 291
292
GLOBALG.A.P. Aquaculture Standard–version5July2015. GLOBALG.A.P.Secretariat.Germany. 293
294
Harmful Algal Bloom." Marine Biodiversity Wiki . Marbef, n.d. Web. 18 May 2016. 295
<http://www.marbef.org/wiki/harmful_algal_bloom>. 296
297
PNS/BAFS 135:2014. Philippine National Standard on the Code of Good Aquaculture Practices (GAqP). 298
Bureau Agriculture and Fisheries Standards. Department of Agriculture. Quezon City, 299
Philippines. 300
301
PNS/BAFS 177:2016. Philippine National Standard for Live Mangrove Crab. Bur eau Agriculture and 302
Fisheries Standards. Department of Agriculture. Quezon City, Philippines. 303
304
PresidentialDecreeNo.442,AsAmended.1974.ADecreeInstituting ALaborCodeThereby Revising 305
andConsolidatingLaborandSocialLawstoAfford ProtectiontoLabor,PromoteEmployment 306
andHuman Resources DevelopmentandInsureIndustrialPeaceBasedOnSocial Justice. 307
Philippines. 308
309
310