Salmon at Måsøval's Kattholmen site were misdiagnosed with PD SAV3 in August 2019.
Photo: Måsøval AS and Sondre Marøy.
Norwegian salmon farming company Måsøval has filed an independent appeal in the case over compensation from the Norwegian state following a "misdiagnosis" of a virus causing pancreas disease at one of its fish farms in 2019.
In December 2023, a Norwegian court found in favour of the salmon producer, ordering the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries to pay out NOK 12.8 million in compensation.
However, the Norwegian state appealed the verdict on 2 February 2024.
Måsøval has confirmed it has also filed an independent appeal in the case, submitted on 5 February 2024.
In August 2019, Norwegian state officials said they had detected salmonid alphavirus subtype 3 (PD SAV3), a highly infectious virus which causes pancreas disease, at Måsøval's Kattholmen facility in Kristiansund municipality.
As a result, Måsøval was ordered to cull most of its fish at the facility, and did the same at its neighbouring Or facility.
However, the authorities' initial finding turned out to be a misdiagnosis, due to an error made by the Norwegian Veterinary Institute.
The Norwegian salmon farming company originally claimed compensation of NOK 29.8 million from the Norwegian state to make up for losses incurred by the incident, and was eventually awarded less than half the requested amount.
The news comes shortly after it emerged that Måsøval-owned seafood processor Pure Norwegian Seafood (PNS) sold frozen salmon not suitable for human consumption. Måsøval AS acquired a 65% stake in PNS in 2021, with PNS providing primary processing and market export services for the parent company.
Måsøval began the year on a high note, announcing healthy Q4 results which showed higher-than-expected harvest volumes during 2023, followed by news that Frøy Kapital acquired a significant stake in Måsøval with the purchase of almost 5 million shares.
