With the APVMA moving to suspend their permit to allow florfenicol use by the salmon industry, the Rockliff Government must act and withdraw their support for the use of this antibiotic in Tasmania’s waterways.
With rock lobster industry shutdowns already occurring, florfenicol detected in wild rock lobster and found abalone over 10 kilometres from the nearest salmon farm, and the federal regulator moving to suspend registration, there is nowhere for the Liberals to hide.
The Rockliff Government last year supported the salmon industry to access florfenicol for months before a permit application was made.
The government supported the permit application without any consultation and without consideration of other industries, the community, or the environment.
For months they’ve continued to support the use of the antibiotic, even as risks to trade impacts for wild catch became realities.
The fact the federal regulator has moved to suspend the use of florfenicol, yet the Rockliff government continues to fully back the industry using the product, is shocking. Not only that, yesterday two national experts in trade called out the risk of florfenicol to major export markets.
The government must change course.
Rather than continuing to prioritise the profits of the multinational corporations that run Tasmania’s salmon farms, the Liberals need to put our waterways, communities and critical wild catch export industries first. They should immediately withdraw their support for the use of florfenicol and require the destocking of diseased salmon pens instead.
