EU policies: New opportunities for aquaponics

Hoevenaars, Kyra; Junge, Ranka; Bardócz, Tamás; Matej, Leskovec,

doi:10.19040/ecocycles.v4i1.87

Cited by 16 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…Furthermore, while aquaponics in the USA. can be certified as organic, the aquaponics producers in Europe cannot benefit from an official label, as the technology is currently not recognised under any official label [31,32].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges of Commercial Aquaponics in Europe: Beyond the Hype

Turnšek

Joly²,

Thorarinsdottir

et al. 2020

Water

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In recent years, aquaponics has been receiving increased interest globally as a commercial food production technology and aquaponics start-up companies have been formed in most European countries. Between 2014 and 2018, the European-funded COST Action FA1305 “The EU Aquaponics Hub-Realising Sustainable Integrated Fish and Vegetable Production for the EU” created a strong network of researchers and entrepreneurs. However, surveys show that the aquaponic production in Europe is still very limited, and very few companies are economically viable. In order to obtain insights into the barriers to early development of commercial aquaponics, two surveys were carried out—one in Europe, which included France, and one in France alone, with a different protocol. Henceforth, for simplicity, the former will be referred to as Europe and the latter as France. The results reveal that the development of commercial aquaponics has hit the level of “disillusionment”, caused by numerous challenges facing commercial food production. As the understanding of the processes involved in aquaponics is increasing, it will be very interesting to follow the developments in the field over the coming years in order to ascertain whether aquaponics will follow the phases outlined by the “Gartner’s Hype Cycle” and thus proceed to become an established technology, or whether it will remain an “one hit wonder” and disappear in the “Trough of Disillusionment”.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges of Commercial Aquaponics in Europe: Beyond the Hype

Turnšek

Joly²,

Thorarinsdottir

et al. 2020

Water

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“…Such a position recognises the importance for aquatic animals to express normal behaviour and is in line with the principles of the 'Five Freedoms' concept stated by the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC 1979). In fact, there is substantial ethological, neuroanatomical and Given the relatively small amount of water necessary, aquaponic systems can be located in a variety of places, including deserts and areas with degraded soil, thus using space that is unsuitable for other food production systems, such as rooftops, abandoned industrial sites and generally non-arable or contaminated land (Hoevenaars et al 2018), thereby aiding the preservation of natural landscape elements Responsible use of energy and natural resources Energy for pumping is kept to a minimum, as aquaponic systems mainly work by gravity (Somerville et al 2014:54), and energy can be generated by alternative sources. Additionally, as fertilisers are produced within the system, input of natural resources is minimised Use of production processes unharmful to the environment The processes involved in aquaponics are not harmful to the environment; in fact most or all the waste that is produced is recycled (Somerville et al 2014).…”

Section: The 'Organicness' Of Aquaponicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since aquaponics involves both fish and plant production, relevant policies are the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP), the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) which has established the Aquaculture Advisory Council (AAC), the EU Food Safety and Nutrition Policy and the EU Environmental Policy. The goals of these policies include promoting innovation, improving access to space and water, increasing sustainability and competitiveness, preventing the generation of waste, improving the welfare of animals including fish, developing a low-carbon economy, promoting the efficiency of resource use (thus directly relating to organic aquaponics and its low water and nutrient use), promoting the use of areas unfit for other food production systems and employing local food production approaches (Hoevenaars et al 2018). The Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) is mainly relevant to the hydroponic part of aquaponics.…”

Section: Eu Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic aquaponics in the European Union: towards sustainable farming practices in the framework of the new EU regulation

Fruscella

Kotzen

Milliken

2021

Reviews in Aquaculture

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Under the new Commission Regulation (EU) 2018/848 which will enter into law in January 2022, aquaponic produce cannot be certified as organic in the European Union. Given the multiple components of an aquaponic system, which involve growing plants in hydroponic conditions, recycling of fish waste and raising fish in artificial conditions, the achievement of organic certification for aquaponic produce is a complex matter dictated by many parameters. Although in theory and in practice aquaponics fulfils nearly all organic farming principles, rules such as the need for crops to be cultivated in soil and the ban on using recirculating aquaculture systems currently prevent aquaponic produce from achieving organic certification. This review examines these rules in the new regulation on horticulture and aquaculture. The rules are evaluated, their foundations discussed, and suggestions are made on the type of system modifications that could potentially make it possible for aquaponic produce to be certified as organic. Suggested modifications include the use of soil in the hydroponic section and the implementation of environmental enrichment for improving the fish welfare in the aquaculture section. Several EU policies and strategies that support the development of aquaponics are also discussed, and potential policies for the development of organic aquaponics are formulated.

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“…As discussed above, securing investment is the main barrier to the realisation of commercial aquaponics (Turnšek et al 2020). Without investment potential, aquaponics projects look to grants but have found the eligibility criteria confusing (Hoevenaars et al 2018). A Web of Science search 3 for the number of peer-reviewed publications in "aquaponics" research shows an increase in publications every year, and it is likely that as research into technologies in this sector moves forward, yields will go up and costs come down.…”

Section: Proposal 1: Make Aquaponics Eligible For Elm Grantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring economic and legal barriers to commercial aquaponics in the EU through the lens of the UK and policy proposals to address them

2021

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Aquaponics is a food production system which connects recirculating aquaculture (fish) to hydroponics (plants) systems. Although aquaponics has the potential to improve soil conditions by reducing erosion and nutrient loss and has been shown to reduce food production related carbon emissions by up to 73%, few commercial aquaponics projects in the EU and UK have been successful. Key barriers to commercial success are insufficient initial investment, an uncertain and complex regulatory environment, and the lack of projects operating on a large scale able to demonstrate profitability. In this paper, we use the UK as a case study to discuss the legal and economic barriers to the success of commercial aquaponics in the EU. We also propose three policies: (1) making aquaponics eligible for the new system of Environmental Land Management grants; (2) making aquaponics eligible for organic certification; and (3) clarifying and streamlining the aquaponics licence application process. The UK’s departure from the EU presents a unique opportunity to review agricultural regulations and subsidies, which in turn could provide evidence that similar reforms are needed in the EU.

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EU policies: New opportunities for aquaponics

Cited by 16 publications

References 0 publications

Challenges of Commercial Aquaponics in Europe: Beyond the Hype

Challenges of Commercial Aquaponics in Europe: Beyond the Hype

Organic aquaponics in the European Union: towards sustainable farming practices in the framework of the new EU regulation

Exploring economic and legal barriers to commercial aquaponics in the EU through the lens of the UK and policy proposals to address them

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