| Consultation on the proposal to introduce a licensing regime for a sea lice medicine based upon deltamethrin under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2005
Summary
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is seeking views on a proposal to introduce a method for licensing a new sea lice medicine based on the active ingredient “deltamethrin”. The product has been sold for a number of years in Norway under the brand name “Alphamax”.
Sea lice are a common problem in marine cage fish farms where these small parasitic crustaceans attach themselves to the skin of the salmon and feed off the fish’s blood. Fish farmers use various medicines to deal with the lice some of which are administered by enclosing the fish cage in a tarpaulin and adding to the water in which the fish swim, others via the food fed to the fish. The new product will be administered by enclosing the fish cage and adding to the enclosed water.
The product is designed to kill small crustaceans and therefore potentially poses a risk to other types of marine creature. In order to protect non-target animals, SEPA requires that fish farmers apply for a licence to allow the release of the medicine following use. SEPA places strict, site-specific, limits in the licence on the amount of the substance that can be used at any given fish farm site.
It is intended that the limits will be set to ensure that outwith the immediate vicinity of the fish cages, the concentration of deltamethrin does not exceed a safe level known as an Environmental Quality Standard (EQS). This EQS is derived from toxicity data for a wide range of animals and plants and includes a significant safety factor to ensure that all species outwith the immediate vicinity of the cages are not endangered by the use and discharge of the product. The limits are set using computer models which calculate how the medicine spreads, and is diluted as it leaves the fish farm. For deltamethrin, SEPA has set a standard of 6ng/l and SEPA will limit the amount of medicine that can be used to ensure that the concentration of residues does not exceed this standard 6 hours after release from the fish cages.
The new product is chemically very similar to an existing medicine “Excis” based upon the active ingredient cypermethrin. The similarity between the products means that SEPA intends to use the same computer models to set licence limits and at sites where the use of Excis is permitted, SEPA does not intend to advertise application for a licence to use deltamethrin. Where a licence for the use of deltamethrin is sought and Excis is not already licensed, SEPA will advertise the application in the normal way, as set out in the above regulations.
Fuller details of the proposals are set out in the formal consultation document.
Please forward any comments which you wish to make on this issue to:
SEPA (Medicine Consultation)
SEPA Orkney office
Norlantic House
Scott’s Road
Hatston Industrial Estate
KIRKWALL
Orkney KW15 1RE
Or via email
In either case responses should be received by 5pm on 19 May 2008. Unless specifically marked “Confidential” responses to this consultation may be made available to the public.
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