Update (5 March 2026): Australia’s veterinary medicine regulator has suspended the emergency permit allowing florfenicol to be used in Tasmanian salmon aquaculture.
In a statement released on 5 March, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) confirmed that the permit had been suspended after reviewing new information about the presence of the antibiotic in marine species outside salmon farming areas.
“The APVMA has suspended the emergency permit (PER96499) for the use of florfenicol in salmon in Tasmania, on the basis of unacceptable risk of residue exposure to non target species,” the authority said.
The suspension took effect on 4 March 2026, meaning the antibiotic can no longer be used under the conditions of the emergency permit.
This development follows the regulator’s earlier decision in February to issue a show cause notice to the permit holder. The notice was issued after testing detected low level residues of florfenicol amine in marine wildlife species.
At the time, the APVMA requested further information to determine whether the permit could continue without creating risks to other fisheries or export markets.
According to the regulator, the response provided by the industry did not resolve those concerns.
“Information received by the APVMA on 2 March 2026 has been reviewed, and it has been concluded that there was no new data, or any evidence of measures that would address the APVMA’s concerns,” the authority said.
“The product holder has been advised that the permit has been suspended and that the product can no longer be used under the provisions of the permit.”
The emergency permit had originally been granted in November 2025 to allow salmon producers in Tasmania’s south eastern biosecurity zone to treat outbreaks of the bacterial disease Piscirickettsia salmonis, which had caused significant fish mortalities in the previous summer.
However, environmental testing later detected traces of the antibiotic in wild marine species including fish, abalone and rock lobster more than ten kilometres from salmon farming leases.
While the antibiotic itself is not considered a direct human health risk, the presence of residues in wild species raised concerns about export market requirements and the potential impact on Tasmania’s wild fisheries sector.
Some international seafood markets maintain strict or zero tolerance thresholds for antibiotic residues, meaning even very low level detections can pose trade risks.
As a result, florfenicol can no longer be used under the emergency authorisation.
The permit had originally been scheduled to remain in place until 31 August 2026.
The salmon industry has indicated it may seek to apply for a new permit in the future once additional research and mitigation measures are available.
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This article is part of an ongoing series examining the use of florfenicol in Tasmanian aquaculture:
Together these developments illustrate how regulatory decisions can shift as new environmental monitoring results and trade risk considerations emerge.
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