‘Smear Campaign’ - IFA Wrong In Fact And Wrong In Law

national | environment | press release Thursday December 24, 2015 20:31 by foie - Friends of the Irish Environment admin at friendsoftheirishenvironment dot org 353 (0)27 74771

PRESS RELEASE - FRIENDS OF THE IRISH ENVIRONMENT - MONDAY 21 DECEMBER 2015

The Boycott Farmed Salmon campaign has issued a reply to an IFA statement on Friday alleging the campaign was engaging in a ‘smear campaign’. It has published two more pre-slaughter tests confirming the presence of antibiotic, anti-parasitic and anaesthetic chemicals. [1]

In a statement the campaign said it stood entirely behind the publication and accuracy of the pre-slaughter test results for farmed salmon they published on line last week showing the presence of 10 chemicals. The Information Commissioner reversed the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Foods 2012 decision not to release these reports in July of this year. [2]

The Boycott Farmed Salmon campaign has issued a reply to an IFA statement on Friday alleging the campaign was engaging in a ‘smear campaign’. It has published two more pre-slaughter tests confirming the presence of antibiotic, anti-parasitic and anaesthetic chemicals. [1]

In a statement the campaign said it stood entirely behind the publication and accuracy of the pre-slaughter test results for farmed salmon they published on line last week showing the presence of 10 chemicals. The Information Commissioner reversed the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Foods 2012 decision not to release these reports in July of this year. [2]

‘We are publishing today two more pre -slaughter reports that both confirm the presence of the anti-parasitic chemicals Emamectin benzoate and the antibiotic drug Oxytetracycline. One of these tests also confirms the presence of anaesthetic MS222 [tricaine mesilate].

‘The state holds no records of the chemicals used for treatment purposes on Irish fish farms. Consequently, the pre-slaughter reports are the only source of reliable data on the presence of chemicals.

‘The level of these chemicals as we stated in our Press Release [3], is below the ‘Minimum Permitted Residue Level, also called the ‘Level of Action’, but the fact remains they were present in pre slaughter samples. The symbol the IFA suggest can mean ‘not detected’ in laboratory reports indicates only that the level was less than that recorded but that the substance was detected as present. The ‘Level of Action’ for malachite has been halved since these 2011 and 2012 reports. [4]

‘These records, and the ones we publish today, show 10 chemicals present in farmed organic salmon at the time of slaughter – two of them - Malachite green and Leuco malachite green - called ‘illegal’ in the Marine Institute’s Chemical Residues in Irish Farmed Fish 2011. [5]

These chemicals include anti-parasitic chemicals designed to paralyse the nervous system of marine ectoparasites, antibiotics which are contributing to growing antibiotic resistance, and anaesthetics that are used for euthanasia in the aquarium trade. Anti-oxidants approved for use as the IFA states in animal feed to cut refrigeration costs while avoiding spontaneous combustions should never be allowed to enter the human food chain. [6] The cross-over of Ethoxyquin into Omega 3 products and Krill oil led to reported recalls in Australia. [7]

Those supporting the Boycott Farmed Salmon Campaign are responsible organisations and individuals and have neither misrepresented data not made false claims. They have come together to urge the public to support a boycott to protect our native salmon by removing open pen net salmon cages from our bays and estuaries.

Richie Flynn and the IFA have no business interfering in aquaculture and should put their own house in order before defending non-EU multi-nationals operating in our waters whose ‘organic’ product the States’s own records say contain an unprecedented chemical cocktail in food intended for human consumption.’

Comments:

Galway Bay Against Salmon Cages 086 3511628
Save Bantry Bay 087 7949 227

Friends of the Irish Environment 087 2176316

Visit the website
www.wildfish.ie

NGOs supporting the campaign include: An Taisce, Aran Against Salmon Farms, Coastwatch, Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers [FISSTA], Forest Friends, Friends of the Earth Friends of the Irish Environment, Galway Bay Against Salmon Cages, Irish Seal Sanctuary, No Salmon Farms at Sea, Salmon Watch Ireland, Save Bantry Bay

REFERENCES

[1] Newly published test results
www.wildfish.ie/SalmonChemAnalysis20June2012.pdf
www.wildfish.ie/SalmonChemAnalysisundated.pdf

Original test results
www.wildfish.ie/SalmonChemAnalysis09Sept2011.pdf

[2] Appeal to the Commissioner for Environmental Information. Case CEI/13/0001
http://www.ocei.gov.ie/en/Decisions/Decisions-List/Frie....html

[3] http://www.friendsoftheirishenvironment.org/press-releases

[4] Evin McGovern Ph.D. Senior Chemist - Marine Chemistry Section Manager, Marine Environment and Food Safety Services, 10 November 2015-12-20

[5] [9] Chemical Residues in Irish Farmed Fish 2011, Marine Environment & Health Series, No. 39, 2013, Marine Institute
http://oar.marine.ie/bitstream/10793/876/1/MEHS39.pdf

[6] Considerations on the Use of Malachite Green in Aquaculture an Analytical Aspects of Determining the Residues in Fish: A Review
http://www.researchgate.net/publication/254356382

[7] http://www.nutraceuticalbusinessreview.com/technical/ar...99579

EDITORS NOTES

DYES
Malachite green and Leuco malachite green are of particular concern as they have not been permitted for some years. Implementation of a new validated analytical method at the Marine Institute to expand testing lowered the Action Limit from 1 which applied at the time of the report we have published in 2011 to 0.5 ug/kg in October 2014, according to our recent correspondence with Marine Environment and Food Safety Services. [3]

ANTI-PARASITIC CHEMICALS
Emamectin benzoate is the principle ingredient in ‘in food’ SLICE feed which these records show is commonly used as is deltamethrine, 2 of the listed 10 chemicals.

TREATMENT CHEMICALS
MS222 [anaesthetic tricaine mesilate] is used throughout the industries operations to sedate the fish before transferring for drug treatments. It is the euthanasia agent in the aquarium trade.

ANTIBIOTICS
Oxyteracycline is an anti biotic used for disease and after jelly fish attacks. One Report notes that at one Marine Harvest Farm ‘Significant bacterial septicaemia affecting the salmon’ (‘furniculosis’) in 2011 required a course of antibiotics. Due to ‘an availability problem with Maracycline in Ireland at the time of writing so the dose will have to be part Maracycline and part Aquatet.’ Both of these antibiotics are approved by Marine Harvest on organic salmon

ANTI OXIDANTS
Unlike food for human consummation the economics of animal feed products do not allow for the same types of refrigeration that are used for human consumption products, so chemical antioxidants become ‘the only option’. The consequent dangers of spontaneous combustions are addressed as stated by the IFA by anti-oxidants

What is omitted from the IFA’s defence of the anti oxidants Butylated hydroxyanisole [BHA] and Ethoxyquin – 2 of the 4 anti-oxidants detected in the salmon’s food supply (Butylated hydroxytoluene [BHT] and Ethoxyquin D are the others) - fails to point out that these chemicals are only permitted in the animal feed chain.

There is great concern over the cross-over of these chemicals into the food chain through aquaculture, as exemplified in these tests. A recent recall in Australia was due to contamination of Omega 3 Oils and Krill products with anti-oxidant . The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) recenty reported (RC-2014-RN-00428-1) that it had detected the presence of ethoxyquin in multiple krill oil products sponsored by a large Australian-owned manufacturer and distributor which were subject to a recall.

MISSING REPORTS
We have received no explanation why of the 140 samples of farmed finfish reportedly tested for substances in 2011, only 10 records have been supplied to us and only 3 of those give the detailed pre slaughter analysis – one of them undated on the Report, undated in the remainder of the file, and undated on the Schedule of Records. We can only surmise that it fell within the time period of the request. The Information Commissioner also commented on great delays and low level of cooperation evidenced by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and Fisheries.

The Information Commissioner said he received ‘no explanations as to why ‘these reports were not identified as relevant in response to the original or internal review requests, or indeed when my Office queried the issue in 2014’. Our request for the remainder of the reports have been denied by the Department and have entered the appeals process.

ENDS

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