Fish Vet Group has worked closely with the FDA for many years to obtain the Import Tolerance for azamethiphos, the active ingredient in Benchmark’s sea lice treatments, Salmosan®, Salmosan®Vet and Byelice®.
The FDA Import Tolerance assessment process is one of the most rigorous in the world, assessing the safety, residue and environmental impact of food products imported into the US.
This is a major step forward for Atlantic salmon farmers as sea lice is an increasing welfare issue and costs the industry more than $500m per year. 
Global production of farmed Atlantic salmon is approximately two million tonnes, and of this volume more than 10 per cent is exported to the US market annually.
Producers can now select from stock treated with any of the current Benchmark sea lice products available on the market today for export to the US.
Previously, under US Federal regulations, producers were forced to segregate their stocks with US-destined cages that would not be treated for sea lice. When all cages cannot be strategically treated as part of an effective Integrated Pest Management plan, the untreated sites act as reservoirs for sea lice, resulting in the area’s sea lice population life cycle remaining unbroken – and driving resistance development.
John Marshall, Technical Director, said: “Salmon farmers in Norway, Chile, Canada, Faroe Islands, UK and Ireland now have the freedom to develop a robust treatment and management plan for all of their facilities and export salmon treated with Salmosan®, Salmosan®Vet and Byelice® with confidence.”
This move supports Benchmark’s commitment to building a sustainable food chain by offering progressive aquaculture health solutions.
