Chile’s salmon farmers defend highest antimicrobial use since 2017

Chile’s salmon farmers increased their use of antimicrobials last year to levels not seen since 2017, according to the latest report on the matter from the Chile’s National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca).

Sernapesca reported Chile’s salmon farmers used 463.4 metric tons (MT) of antimicrobials on 985,958 MT of harvested biomass in 2021, leading to an antibiotic consumption index (ACI, or amount of active ingredient used divided by the harvest of salmonids times 100) of 0.047 percent. In comparison, the industry’s ACI was 0.035 percent for 2020 and 0.046 percent in 2017. The highest ACI recorded in the report was 0.064 percent in 2007. Until last year, antibiotic use had been steadily falling since 2015, when ACI reached 0.063 percent.