TWO British supermarket chains are refusing to sell salmon from fish
farms which use a pesticide called ivermectin to kill sea lice.
Tesco and Marks & Spencer say that they are responding to public concern
about the dangers the chemical may pose to shellfish and human health. 鈥淲e have
decided to err on the side of caution,鈥� says a spokesman for Tesco.
Five salmon farms in Scotland are already licensed by the Scottish
Environment Protection Agency to treat their fish with ivermectin, and many
others are awaiting the outcome of an appeal by shellfish farmers against its
use (This Week, 7 September 1996, p 4).
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The Scottish Salmon Growers鈥� Association insists that salmon treated with
ivermectin are safe. William Crowe, the association鈥檚 chief executive, complains
that the supermarkets are 鈥減laying God鈥�.