Salmon industry has increased use of antibiotic

The salmon farming industry, which produces Scotland’s biggest food export, is coming under new scrutiny as use of antibiotics has soared in four years as use elsewhere slumped.

Analysis produced by Salmon Scotland accepts that 8.9 tonnes of drugs with an antibiotic ingredient were used in 2021, over two-and-a-half times more than when data was first published in 2017.

Meanwhile, use in other food-producing species such as turkeys and chickens has slumped.

In 2017, the World Health Organisation was recommending that farmers and the food industry stop using antibiotics routinely to promote growth and prevent disease in healthy animals.