David Persson, President of the Veterinary Association.
Photo: Norwegian Veterinary Association (Den norske veterinærforening)
Another Norwegian veterinary organization has added its voice to calls for the aquaculture industry to prioritize fish health and welfare through the country's traffic light permits system.
Following the 2024 Fish Health Report released last week, the Norwegian Veterinary Association (Den norske veterinærforening) says that although it believes it is "too early to say whether this is a lasting positive trend", the data in the preport "show that several players in the industry are working purposefully to reduce mortality".
"We are happy for everyone who manages to improve their production, to safeguard fish health and welfare. Nevertheless, the road towards sustainable fish welfare is still long. Today it is far too easy to achieve growth in production, even if mortality is high. That would never be acceptable for any other livestock", said David Persson, Veterinary Association President.
The Norwegian Veterinary Association is proposing rewarding fish farming operators with low mortality - echoing a similar position announced by Norwegian union Tekna.
"We propose that the top 25% within each production area are allowed to grow. This ensures a systematic and targeted improvement to all production areas throughout the country. Another concrete measure of welfare is to measure the occurrence of skin wounds at slaughter, which is already carried out regularly," the Association said in a statement.
The Association also underlined the importance of improved biosecurity in Norwegian aquaculture, stating that this needs "mandatory regional cooperation, good fallow areas with designated firebreaks in between, and stricter requirements for washing and disinfection of boats and equipment".
The organization, which represents veterinarians across Norway, also said that it supported the 5% mortality goal proposed by the Norwegian government.
"To achieve this goal, we must work together. The authorities and the industry itself must take action to ensure that Norwegian aquaculture achieves real sustainability and fulfills its promises to take a leading position in animal welfare," said Aoife M. Westgård, head of the Norwegian Association of Aquaculture Veterinarians.