The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has confirmed the outbreak of Pancreatic Disease (PD) at two Mowi-operated breeding facilities, 10447 Mefaldskjæret and 31857 Blomsøråsa, in Nordland county, Norway.
The Authority has mandated the emptying of the cages to prevent further spread of this highly contagious disease, which significantly affects salmon health.
Read more: PD detected at Mowi farm 9km from site where 900,000 fish were culled in September
In a release issued on Friday, Geir Arne Ystmark, regional director of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority’s northern region, emphasized the severity of the PD outbreak, noting the area north of Skjemta, Flatanger in Trøndelag, must remain free of the disease.
The affected facilities are within a protection zone established after a previous PD detection at 45003 Ystøya in September. The Authority is ordering the immediate emptying of the affected sites and urges all local fish farming activities to exercise caution to minimize the risk of disease transmission.
Regulations require that facilities within a 30-kilometer radius of confirmed PD cases undergo additional sampling within seven days. Producers are responsible for conducting these samplings, and the Food Safety Authority has reminded them of this obligation.
The Food Safety Authority is also considering expanding the current restricted zone based on local factors, such as the number of facilities, distance conditions, and other relevant circumstances. This restricted zone typically extends approximately 30 kilometers from locations with confirmed PD.
The PD detection was initially reported to the Authority by Mowi on November 16, following positive laboratory analysis results. Confirmatory samples taken on November 20 were analyzed by the Veterinary Institute, leading to official confirmation on November 23.
PD is a viral disease that affects salmon, leading to reduced appetite, stunted growth, and potentially high mortality rates. While it poses no risk to human health and does not affect the safety of consuming the fish, it leaves salmon more vulnerable to other diseases and can cause significant losses for the aquaculture industry.
