The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has sounded the alarm over a possible outbreak of pancreatic disease (PD) in Ystøya in the municipality of Alstahaug in Nordland county. This facility is operated by the company LetSea.
In a statement, the national institution explained that "the company must quickly empty the facilities to prevent further contamination."
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority emphasized the seriousness of the situation. Geir Arne Ystmark, the regional director of the northern region of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, explained that PD is a highly contagious disease in salmon that causes health and welfare problems for the fish and significant losses for the industry.
To address this, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority has issued several guidelines to ensure the area is cleared. One of them is to safeguard the geographical space, as it is located in an area with other fish farms and in the main vessel traffic zone along the coast. Therefore, to limit the spread of the infection, the institution aimed to quickly empty the facilities, as Ystmark stated.
Additionally, they would conduct an infection status mapping in the area. Specifically, the protocol for this disease, requires that fish farms located within a 30-kilometer radius from the location of Ystøya undergo an expanded sampling within seven days. The fish farmers themselves, as clarified by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, will be responsible for this sampling.
Finally, it is important to note that the disease has no impact on human health, and consuming fish is safe.
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of food and drinking water in Norway. Thus, it focuses on promoting public health and environmentally friendly production practices for plants, fish, and animals. With its responsibility for overseeing cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and animal health personnel.
