– In its latest 2022 report on antimicrobial use, Sernapesca showed that the company is one of those that used the least antibiotics in grams per ton in closed cycles, with 138, which is well below the 320 that the salmon farming sector recorded on average during the period.
– “The results reflect committed work by the entire production chain, which begins with the raising of healthy smolts accompanied by appropriate, preventive and focused care of fish throughout the entire sea-rearing cycle,” detailed Blumar’s Farming Manager, Pedro Pablo Laporte.
The reduction of antimicrobial use has been one of the major challenges in national salmon farming, which is regulated and managed by veterinary professionals. This use is monitored and regulated by the authority, and additionally the reduction of its use is a permanent demand from end consumers. The productive sector has been working on different strategies to reduce or eliminate its use, while always safeguarding animal welfare and Blumar has been one of the companies that has worked diligently in this area, and since 2017 has achieved a 64% reduction in antibiotic use by the end of 2022.
The work carried out by the company was reflected in the recent Report on Antimicrobial Use in National Salmon Farming presented by the National Fisheries Service (Sernapesca), which reported on the use of these drugs during 2022. In the report, it is observed that Blumar used only 138 grams per ton in closed cycles, positioning it as one of the two companies with the lowest antibiotic use during the period.
Likewise, regarding Salar salmon species, which historically registers the highest antibiotic use, the company appears in the Report as the one that used the least antibiotics in 2022 with respect to the number of closed cycles, reaching only 139.26 grams per ton, which is below the 491.75 that the salmon farming sector recorded during the period.
“The reduction of antibiotics has been one of our most important ESG commitments and we have implemented it by maximizing ABF (AntiBiotic Free) production, where the final product cannot have registered the use of antibiotics in any phase of cultivation (freshwater and saltwater), introducing innovation and, above all, working decisively and in a coordinated manner in this initiative, led by the health area, but coupled with a very high degree of commitment among the freshwater, logistics, operations and saltwater areas, to raise healthy salmon throughout the chain, from egg to harvest, where we provide systematic, preventive and focused care of the fish,” detailed Blumar’s Farming Manager, Pedro Pablo Laporte.
Regarding the above, as part of its sustainability strategy, the company committed to achieving a 58% reduction in antibiotic use by 2027, using 2017 as the baseline. This goal was already exceeded in 2022, since, as reported in its latest integrated report, to date it has achieved a 64% reduction. “That drives us to continue systematically reducing the use of antimicrobials, always keeping animal welfare in sight, to deliver increasingly better quality, healthy and nutritious products to consumers,” commented Laporte.
PROA Program: “It has allowed us to challenge our antibiotic
reduction program”
Another aspect highlighted and detailed in the Sernapesca Report is the quantity of salmon produced in centers that have the certification of the Program for the Optimization of Antimicrobial Use (PROA), which is a voluntary government certification focused on optimizing the effectiveness and adoption of good practices associated with antimicrobial treatments.
To date, Blumar has 37 centers with this certification, of which 12 entered in 2022, seven of them in the ATB-free category (without antimicrobial use) and six in the UEAB category (efficient antimicrobial use). “The Sernapesca PROA program has been a great contribution, strengthening surveillance, to have greater control and especially for training of center personnel,” indicated Pedro Pablo Laporte.
From the company, they have also explained that this program and strategy they have implemented has allowed them to genotype infectious agents in the centers, and thus become aware of the response to treatments, and improve early detection of outbreaks, which translates into efficiency. “This allows us to ensure that our commitment to reducing antibiotics and pharmacological treatments is a continuous improvement strategy, which ultimately allows us to be a more competitive company with standards regarding antibiotic use similar to countries like Canada or Scotland, however, we still have challenges ahead,” Laporte concluded.
