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.

Aquaponics是将循环水产养殖（鱼类）与水培（植物）系统连接起来的食品生产系统。尽管鱼菜共生有潜力通过减少侵蚀和养分流失来改善土壤状况，并已显示出将与粮食生产相关的碳排放量减少多达73％，但在欧盟和英国，几乎没有商业化的鱼菜共生项目取得成功。商业成功的主要障碍是初期投资不足，不确定和复杂的监管环境以及缺乏能够证明盈利能力的大规模项目。在本文中，我们以英国为例，讨论了在欧盟成功实现商业鱼菜共生的法律和经济障碍。我们还提出了三项政策：（1）使水培植物符合新的环境土地管理补助金制度；（2）使水培植物获得有机认证的资格；（3）阐明和简化鱼菜共生许可证的申请程序。英国脱离欧盟为审查农业法规和补贴提供了独特的机会，而这反过来又可以提供证据，证明欧盟也需要进行类似的改革。