Mainstream Canada has announced that as of Monday all of its salmon farms have been tested for the IHN virus and all of the tests have come back negative.
Since the virus was first detected at a Dixon Bay farm on 14 May, Mainstream has done extensive sampling at all the company’s farm sites in British Columbia.
One sample from a Bawden Point farm showed a “weak positive” for the virus. However, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) did two more rounds of sampling and testing — one week apart — at the site. All tested negative, and the quarantine on the site was lifted.
The Dixon Bay farm, which the company began depopulating on 17 May, is still under quarantine while it is cleaned to CFIA’s standards.
“This is good news for us, but we will stay on alert and maintain very strict bio-security measures and keep our farms isolated, while frequently testing for the virus,” said Fernando Villarroel, Mainstream’s managing director. “We are hopeful that our quick and decisive action worked to prevent this virus from spreading to our other farms.”
Mainstream Canada is owned by Norway’s Cermaq.
