In August 2025, BAP certification, an international certification for aquaculture, officially announced that by December 31, 2030, all BAP-certified shrimp production facilities will fully end the practice of eyestalk ablation and external procurement of the relevant PL (seed) with support for a phased transition. This puts them in line with Global GAP certification, which has already been banned, and ASC certification, which had announced a phased ban. Since many Japanese companies have opted for these three certifications, there is no doubt that shrimp eyestalk ablation will be substantially reduced from the domestic market.
The Animal Rights Center is launching an advertising campaign from July 2021 to January 2022 calling for the abolition of shrimp eyestalk ablation, and the campaign has been a great success, as the certifying bodies have now aligned themselves.
| classification | scheme | status | Enforcement and deadlines | main point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organic (public) | EU Organic | explicit prohibition | Already applied | Annex II, Part III article prohibits ocular resection (including ligation, incision and pinching). |
| Private (International) | GLOBALG.A.P. IFA v6 (aquaculture) | prohibition | Mandatory on 1/1/2024 | Requirement AQ 18.01.05: **”Only PL derived from females that have not undergone ocular eyestalk ablation “**. |
| Private (International) | ASC Farm Standard (shrimp) | phase-out (e.g. of a program, programme, etc.) | Announced in August 2025; 4-year transition period for L. vannamei vannamei and6-year transition period for P. monodonBlack Tiger | Timed phase-out based on species characteristics and implementation difficulties. |
| Private (International) | BAP (GSA) | Total ban by the end of 2030 | 2030/12/31 Expiration date | Official announcement of a policy to terminate both the implementation of ocular eyestalk ablation and the external procurement of the said PL. |
| Organic (private) | Naturland | prohibition | Already applied | Stipulate that ” no intervention on eyestalk ” and ” natural reproduction only.” |
Japanese companies are also required to make a clear statement that they will move away from shrimp that have undergone ocular eyestalk ablation, which the world has clearly categorized as “should not be procured,” and to immediately begin making procurement changes and requirements to implement this change.
