Chilean salmon imports raise biosecurity, food safety concerns

Imported Chilean salmon poses a range of potential biosecurity risks on top of risks to human health through antibiotic and pesticide residues, a new report says.

Tassal salmon pens in Strahan, Tasmania. Picture: NewsWire / Supplied

Imported Chilean salmon poses a range of potential biosecurity risks on top of risks to human health through antibiotic and pesticide residues, a new report says.

Aquatic animal health expert Ben Diggles’s report into the Biosecurity of Salmonid Products into Australia was prepared for Salmon Tasmania.

It notes that the salmon industry in Chile has developed in the last three decades and the nation is the second-largest producer of farmed fish but the rapid expansion has been accompanied by a “the wild west” or “gold rush” mentality.

SANTIAGO CHILE – fishermen selling their wares.

“However, this high productivity has been achieved by intensive farming at high stocking densities with minimal government control over aquaculture development, resulting in high susceptibility of salmon to diseases caused by translocated viruses, bacteria, and parasites,” the report notes.

Australia’s rules governing the importation of salmon products from Chile is subject to a 1999 Import Risk Analysis, which Dr Diggles said does not take into account a quarter-century of the growth of the Chilean industry, and the risk it might entail.

“The salmon industry in Australia has raised concerns regarding whether this 25-year-old document remains up-to-date and a reliable source of information for decision making on quarantine policy for salmonid products imported for human consumption,” it says.

“Several new pathogens have emerged in salmonids globally since 1999, including Piscine Orthoreovirus which has caused significant disease outbreaks in Chilean salmonids since 2016.

The 1999 IRA is obviously out of date in many areas, and has been overtaken by events over the past 25 years in a way that other competent authorities, for example Biosecurity New Zealand, have not tolerated.”

Salmon pens. Picture: NewsWire / Supplied

Minister for Business, Industry and Resources Eric Abetz said Chilean salmon was an inferior product that placed thousands of Tasmanian jobs at risk.

“Imported Chilean salmon hitting the shelves at the Sydney Fish Market is a smack in the face of thousands of hardworking Tasmanians,” Mr Abetz said.

“This has happened on the watch of Tasmania’s very own Federal Labor Minister Julie Collins – Federal Labor have backed imported Chilean salmon over Tasmania’s world-class, sustainably sourced salmon.”

A spokesman for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said biosecurity was taken very seriously.

“As a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Australia is committed to lowering trade barriers and engaging in bilateral trade where the science says it is safe to do so,” he said.

“Australia maintains very strict biosecurity risk management measures for imported salmonid products to ensure local Australian aquaculture industries and the environment are protected from harm caused by exotic diseases.

“Subject to our strict biosecurity requirements Australia has successfully imported raw salmonid products for human consumption from many approved countries since early 2000.

“ All foods imported for sale in Australia must comply with the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code in addition to the department’s biosecurity requirements.

“The department’s assessment of Chile has been a robust process undertaken over many years, including an in-country assessment of Chile’s ability to meet Australia’s strict biosecurity risk management measures for salmon products.”

Originally published as Chilean salmon imports raise biosecurity, food safety concerns