Tasmania’s salmon industry is fighting to retain its licence to use the antibiotic florfenicol, a crucial treatment against a bacterial disease that has caused significant losses in local salmon farms. The federal regulator, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), has proposed revoking the emergency permit after finding trace amounts of the antibiotic in wild marine species up to 10 kilometres from salmon pens.
The industry has been given until March 2 to prove it can meet stringent trade and safety criteria, as some international markets — including China — enforce zero tolerance for antibiotic residues in seafood.
Salmon Tasmania, the peak body representing aquaculture producers, insists that florfenicol remains the best available therapeutic tool to manage the bacterial infection caused by Piscirickettsia salmonis. The group’s CEO warned that losing access to the antibiotic would make disease control “very complicated.”
Critics, including wild fishery representatives and environmental advocates, argue that the spread of antibiotic traces into the marine environment could harm other fisheries and jeopardise export markets. They have welcomed the regulator’s scrutiny, calling for greater environmental safeguards and transparency.
Salmon Tasmania says it is preparing a response with evidence on florfenicol’s use and environmental impact to satisfy the regulator’s requirements.
