Industry hits back over salmon review

UPDATED: The salmon industry has hit back at the Premier over his announced review of Tasmania's salmon industry as a "shameful betrayal."
 
“The Premier has gone back on his word and commitments and shamefully let down every salmon worker, their families, and communities across the state,” Salmon Tasmania CEO Dr Whittington said.
 
“The Premier’s announcement today will send a loud caution to any company, in any sector that invests or is looking to invest in Tasmania.
 
“The Premier has let down the salmon aquaculture industry; strangling growth, guaranteeing a whole host of new red tape, and significantly undermining confidence and investment.
 

Dr Whittington revealed that the Premier had penned the industry a letter on 2nd July this year during the election campaign promising "not [to] trade the salmon industry in any way, shape or form in order to form or retain Government."
 
“The Liberal Party went to the election promising 100 per cent support for Tasmania’s salmon aquaculture industry.

“Many salmon workers trusted the Liberals with their valuable vote, only to be completely betrayed just six weeks later.
 
“Tasmania’s salmon industry is already the most highly regulated primary industry in Tasmania, built on the world leading science from respected institutions including IMAS and CSIRO, with collaboration and consultation with the Government every step of the way.
 
“More than 5,000 Tasmanians working hard for the industry, and nine of 10 of those jobs are in our regional communities.
 
“This decision abandons regional Tasmania and sends a dangerous message to any business considering investing in our state," Dr Whittington concluded.
 

EARLIER: Premier Jeremy Rockliff has announced a major review into Tasmania's salmon industry.

The move, which includes a freeze on industry expansion, comes just 48 hours before a crucial vote of No Confidence in the Parliament, and seems to directly address concerns about the salmon industry raised by independents including Peter George.

"The Tasmanian Government will launch an independent study of the salmon industry to ensure its long-term sustainability and environmental efficacy", Premier Jeremy Rockliff said.

“To support the salmon industry to meet its social licence in line with contemporary environmental expectations, we will deliver an independent study of the industry.

“I said clearly, after the mass mortality event of last summer, the industry is on notice.

“I do not resile from that; we must always seek to strike a balance between sustainable primary industries and our unique natural environments in which they operate.

“We are on the side of Tasmanians. We know how important transparency is to the industry, so we expect them to fully participate in the study.

The Premier said that the terms of reference will be created in collaboration with the Parliament; however, would likely include:

•⁠  ⁠existing and proposed monitoring, regulation, environmental standards, compliance and penalties, and legislation, and whether they need to be strengthened or changed;

•⁠  ⁠disease and antibiotic use, scientific research and environmental impacts;

•⁠  ⁠international research into methods of fish-farming, including land-based and offshore;

•⁠  ⁠capturing the true impacts of the industry on public waterways, the environment and infrastructure, to ensure that all costs to the government are recovered through the cost recovery model;

and
•⁠  ⁠the scientific, economic and environmental benefits and impacts of the industry for our marine environment, communities, jobs and economy, drawing on local and international experience.

Environment Minister, Madeleine Ogilvie, said that the Government will also develop and deliver a Marine Environment Tasmania Act, in consultation with the parliament and the community, and we will further strengthen regulatory oversight.

The independent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), established by the Liberal Government in 2021, will be further strengthened.

This will include:

•⁠  ⁠monitoring requirements of industry (including benthic health);

•⁠  ⁠antibiotic use;

•⁠  ⁠illness and mortalities (including marine and bird life interactions); and

•⁠  ⁠with full public reporting on matters of public interest.

"Our waste management sector will also be tasked with ensuring management of aquaculture industry waste meets contemporary standards and community expectations," Ms Ogilvie concluded.

Salmon is Tasmania's biggest primary industry, worth over $1 billion annually and according to the industry employs over 5,000 people.

It was announced on Friday that the industry was seeking to fast-track a new vaccine to address an endemic bacteria - Piscirickettsia salmonis - that was responsible for a fish mortality event that occurred over the summer, during which chunks of dead salmon washed up on beaches in southern Tasmania.