Overview

• The government has applied to fast-track an interim permit for florfenicol, an antibiotic unregulated in Australia, with approval expected in four to six weeks.
• Regulators report Piscirickettsia salmonis remains endemic in southern Tasmania after last summer’s outbreak killed over 6,300 tonnes of farmed salmon.
• Greens and crossbench MPs say up to 60% of fish in a Huon Aquaculture pen are infected, a claim Salmon Tasmania disputes.
• The EPA and chief veterinary officer will assess environmental spread and health impacts before the drug’s use is approved.
• Crossbench demands for increased transparency and tighter aquaculture oversight have become key bargaining chips in the hung parliament negotiations.