Dear Minister of Health, the Honourable Rona Ambrose, P.C., M.P.
I understand you have been given responsibility for some of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) activities .
As such, I am writing to you with two questions about Norwegian farmed salmon in British Columbia;
#1 The CFIA has told Canadians that the lab that found ISA virus segments in BC farmed salmon was wrong. We were led to believe that the CFIA retested the samples I collected and sent to Dr. Kibenge's lab at the Atlantic Veterinary College, but could not detect the virus. The CFIA advised the World Organization for Animal Health that this lab should be stripped of its international ISA virus reference status, because their ISA virus test results could not be verified. With that accomplished, Canada is ignoring that segments of ISA virus have been sequenced from BC farmed salmon. Seven different labs have detected ISA virus in BC, but this one was the only non-government Canadian lab and it has been silenced. There is a history of this concerning BC salmon.
ISA is an internationally reportable influenza-family virus, the most lethal salmon virus known and spreading worldwide where Atlantic salmon are raised in net pens. Most countries depopulate infected salmon farms, but not Canada. The CFIA allows ISA infected salmon to stay in the pens in eastern Canada. I am surprised the World Health Organization of Animals has not stepped in to bring Canada up to world standards. The CFIA's casual response to ISA in eastern Canada does elevate the concern over what they are doing in western Canada.
I am writing to you because, contrary to the CFIA's public statements, CFIA staff, Gary Kruger, informed me there has been no retesting of any of my samples, reason given; no chain of custody and the CFIA does not test samples submitted by members of the public (even apparently when they have tested positive for segment of ISA virus in one of the top ISA labs in the world).Download CFIA Email Thread highlightedb.pdf (128.6K)
What the CFIA told the World Organization for Animal Health and the Canadian public is opposite to what the CFIA told me. The stakes are high. An ISA virus positive in BC farmed salmon would trigger US border restrictions and threaten the wild salmon of western Canada and the U.S.
I have written to the CFIA every month since July 2013 asking, did the CFIA retest my samples or not? I have not received an answer. The World Organization of Animal Health refuses to tell me why they stripped the lab. In my view, the only reason the CFIA would get into this situation, is because there is validity to Dr. Kibenge's tests and they are protecting the industry.
I have posted my letters to the CFIA below.
Can you verify - did the CFIA retest the samples that I sent to Dr. Kibenge's lab or not? This is of international and domestic food security concern. If the CFIA did not retest the samples, Dr. Kibenge's results stand unchallenged and food security in BC has been compromised.
#2 Are you aware that in June 2013 Norwegian doctors advised strict limits on Norwegian farmed salmon consumption due to exposure to toxins?
Since then numerous Norwegian articles have described how Norway knew toxin levels were high in farmed salmon, but did not inform its citizens. They fired a scientist who tried to warn the public and successfully lobbied the European Union repeatedly to increase the allowable levels of toxins in farmed salmon feed. Here are a few articles about this translated via Google Translate: Download Norwegian Articles reduced file size.pdf (7271.5K) France is very concerned and pushing back.
This graph illustrates the sheer amount of toxins in Norwegian farmed salmon vs other proteins. It would appear Norwegian farmed salmon is one of the most toxic proteins widely sold.
Minister Ambrose, farmed salmon in BC is 98% Norwegian-owned. If Norwegian doctors are warning people to reduce consumption of Norwegian farmed salmon because these toxins are linked to autism, nervous system disorders, reduced brain size and more, shouldn't Canadians and trade partners be warned? We have the same companies here.
I hope you will answer these questions as they are issues of food security, ecological urgency, the economy of BC (wild salmon bring more than $1.5 billion into BC) and international trade relations. It is very important that we can trust government in these increasingly uncertain times.
1 - Did the CFIA retest BC farmed salmon from the Kibenge lab for ISA virus or not, which story is the truth?
2 - Should Canadians and trade partners be warned about toxins in BC farm salmon, or does the industry only sell high toxin-level product at home to Norwegians?
Thank you,
Alexandra Morton