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Image: Consejo del Salmón / FIS
In a Decade, the Salmon Industry Reduced Antimicrobial Use by 40%
(CHILE, 6/7/2024)
In an important step towards active transparency, the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) published this Tuesday, June 4, a new Report on the Use of Antimicrobials and Antiparasitics in National Salmon Farming, which corresponds to the year 2023.
As a first novelty, this report marks a milestone by being the first record that contains information on the consumption of antiparasitics in a closed cycle, in compliance with Law 21,532. These data come from the Aquaculture Supervision Platform (SIFA), where companies report the use of antimicrobials and antiparasitics in their respective production processes.
Another novelty to highlight is the reduction of close to 40% in the consumption of the ICA (antimicrobial consumption index) in relation to the 2022 report, which reflects the highest rate of reduction in the last decade. A decrease is evident mainly in the Aysén and Los Lagos region, and also in the species of Atlantic salmon and Coho salmon.
Furthermore, it is important to highlight that the main antimicrobial used in the industry according to the recommendations of the World Organization for Animal Health is florfenicol, which is used exclusively in veterinary medicine.
Marcela Lara, technical advisor of the Salmon Council, highlighted the recent report published by Sernapesca. “We value the publication of this report in favor of transparency based on the information reported by our companies. We also highlight the significant reduction in the use of antimicrobials, which shows that the management strategies implemented by our companies are going in a very good direction."
In conclusion, this report is an important step towards active transparency in the salmon industry in Chile, which reflects the industry's commitment to more sustainable and responsible practices.