Two Norwegian producers sell virus-infected salmon: reports

Two salmon producers in northern Norway failed to report an outbreak of viruses and some of their products had been sold to China, local media reported on Tuesday.

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA) accused Isqueen AS and Lofoten Sjoprodukter AS, both in the Lofoten archipelago in the northern county of Nordland, of not having reported the outbreak of viruses that can cause infectious salmon anaemia (ISA), business newspaper DN reported.

The NFSA believes exporting salmon infected with the viruses was a contributing factor to China's decision to stop the imports of whole salmon from parts of Norway, the report said.

"We take it very seriously that companies do not comply with the legislation and do not alert for suspected disease or signs of disease," state broadcaster NRK quoted NFSA official Katrine Flostrand as saying.

Flostrand said the notification requirement is not only essential to prevent the spread of infections, but also crucial for other countries to have confidence in Norway's products.

China announced in March it halted imports of whole salmon with heads or viscera from Norway's northern counties of Sor-Trondelag, Troms and Nordland due to its worries that viruses carried by the products could threaten the Asian country's fish farming industry. Endit