Overdue Florfenicol Ban Enacted Following Pressure From Neighbours of Fish Farming — But Salmon Industry Reform Still Urgently Needed

NOFF and the communities it supports are greatly relieved the permit for Florfenicol has been revoked. A decision that was well overdue.

The APVMA's decision confirms what community members, fishers and scientists have been warning for months: antibiotics used in open net-pen salmon farming does not stay contained.

While the revocation is a critical step forward for Tasmania's waterways, it should never have reached this point. The regulatory shortfalls meant florfenicol could be used without stringent baseline studies under an 'emergency permit' in our waterways: an untenable situation for our local fisheries and marine environment.

Lilly Henley from NOFF said the outcome raises serious concerns about how the permit was granted in the first place.

"The suspension of this emergency permit shows that not enough care was taken in its approval. There were no baseline studies, no risk analysis, and no proper consideration for Tasmanians working in wild fisheries, or for those who fish, swim and dive in what should, and could be clean, healthy waterways."

Despite the ban, other antibiotics, including oxytetracycline, remain available for use and pose similar environmental and antimicrobial-resistance risks.

"Overturning the florfenicol permit is an important win for public and environmental health, but there is still a long way to go.

We are calling on the EPA to mandate de-stocking as the industry's primary disease response, particularly during warmer months when keeping stressed and diseased salmon in overcrowded pens creates unacceptable welfare, biosecurity and environmental risks."

Media Contact

Lilly Henley 0429 084 434