In a recent letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the PEW Environmental Group warned of the potential environmental threats related to the discharge of banned drugs into the marine environment as well as the human health risk allegedly resulting from the medical treatment of farmed salmon.
Now, the Salmon of the Americas (SOTA) is retaliating to the statements made, calling them "misleading" in a recent press release. According to Salmon of the Americas, medicinal treatments for farmed salmon are only applied when absolutely necessary to treat the salmon for specific ailments and never as a preventative treatment.
"All treatments (the medicine / the dosage / and the duration) are prescribed, approved and administered to the salmon by and under the supervision of certified veterinarians. All treatments comply with and are controlled by the appropriate governmental organizations", says the release. "A zero tolerance of antibiotic residue is mandatory in farmed salmon and extended periods of withdrawal are prescribed and monitored by the Chilean Government fisheries department (Sernapesca) and the US FDA prior to harvest and entry into the USA."
Salmon of the Americas say that for Pew to state that consumers run a health risk by purchasing farmed salmon as a result of medicinal residue is patently false and irresponsible.
Pew Environment Group say that these pesticide and antibiotic residues are of concern due to their potential harm to human health and the environment. "For example, the pesticide emamectin benzoate, which is used to treat sea lice, is "very toxic to aquatic organisms" and "may cause long-term adverse effects in the environment," according to the manufacturer's safety data." They stated, adding: "the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in farmed fish destined for human consumption also raises concerns about the possibility of antibiotic resistant bacterial infections in humans."
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