Training link with UK company boosts tilapia welfare in Brazil
Tilapia genetics heavyweight GenoMar is strengthening its approach to animal welfare across all operations through a strategic partnership with UK-based FAI Farms Ld, a globally recognised organisation with scientific expertise in animal welfare across multiple species and production systems.
FAI, headquartered in Oxforshire, England, combines scientific knowledge with practical implementation experience across terrestrial and aquatic species. GenoMar, which supplies tilapia fingerlings, said that expertise is now advancing welfare practices in its tilapia production.
“FAI’s training and digital tools have been highly effective in implementing animal welfare standards across all our tilapia breeding and genetics operations. This drives stronger performance and more sustainability,” said Marina Delphino, fish health and quality solutions manager at GenoMar Genetics Group.
Completed in Brazil
All GenoMar units in Brazil have completed training, building internal capacity around best practices in animal welfare. The next phase is already under way, expanding training and implementation across GenoMar’s operations in Colombia and Asia, which the company said ensures consistent standards across regions while respecting local realities.
Progress is recognised through the achievement of two FAI welfare badges, demonstrating measurable improvement in on-farm practices. The ‘welfare-trained’ badge is awarded on completion of FAI’s Tilapia Welfare Trained Foundation course and a commitment to assessing welfare, followed by the ‘welfare-assessed’ badge, granted after successful implementation and independent assessment of welfare outcomes.
Digital tool
GenoMar’s partnership with FAI also includes a digital tool for structured, continuous assessment of welfare indicators, helping teams identify opportunities for improvement and monitor progress over time.
Using FAI’s assessment framework and digital tool, teams evaluate welfare conditions through practical, observable indicators across key areas such as:
- Fish behaviour - swimming patterns, responsiveness, signs of stress
- Physical condition - appearance, injuries, deformities, body condition
- Handling practices - grading, transfer, and crowding, conducted to minimise stress
- Environmental conditions - water quality and stocking densities
- Operational processes - consistency of routine management across teams and units
Real-time data
Employees carry out these assessments through a standardised app that enables real-time data collection and scoring, enabling GenoMar to diagnose current conditions, track progress, and support data-driven decisions across all teams.
“By embedding these practices into daily operations, GenoMar treats animal welfare as a continuous, measurable, and science-based process - aligned with its broader mission of responsible aquaculture and sustainable food production,” the company said in a press release.
GenoMar is based in Oslo, Norway, and is owned by Germany-based holding company EW Group, which also owns Norway and Scotland salmon ova producer AquaGen.
Global production of tilapia is second only to carp and is forecast to reach nine million tonnes annually by 2030.
