Pacific Chem obtains Welfcert animal welfare certification for Saproform

Saprolegniosis is a disease caused by fungi (mycosis) that affects fish in the freshwater phase. The current treatments used contain formalin, which generates a residue (formaldehyde) that impacts the environment and animals, given its potential carcinogenic (chronic) effect.

Last year, Directemar announced restrictions to the entire industry on the use of these formalins. Therefore, the Chilean laboratory Pacific Chem developed Neutra-F (Directemar Resolutions Ord. No. 12600/05/650 and Ord. No. 12600/05/651), a formaldehyde neutralizer from Saproform (SAG Registration No. 2512, valid until February 2029) that allows ensuring the proper treatment of fish, protecting their health and welfare along with ensuring that production centers can use the product with a focus on fish health, according to the recommendations that veterinarians define according to sanitary conditions and incidence of mycosis, ensuring that residual formaldehyde concentrations are always below the new threshold established by the Authority, which states that "under no circumstances may the discharges of effluents or residues exceed 1 ppm of formaldehyde concentration".

For the Veterinary Doctor and Industrial Civil Engineer, Felipe Amtmann, manager of the Southern Zone of the Pacific Chem Group of Companies, this set of developments and authorizations are excellent news, 'since, as we anticipated in our Saprolegniosis Workshop developed in conjunction with Quivet and the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences of the Austral University of Chile in Puerto Varas a year ago - both for the company and for our clients these are priority matters, as we require a product that controls one of the diseases with the highest prevalence and damage to the health of fish in the freshwater phase, with a significant productive and economic impact for the salmon farming companies, thus favoring the sustainable development of the industry, the care and protection of the aquaculture environment and animal welfare.'

Additionally, anticipating the REP Law, Pacific Chem, along with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Environment of Los Lagos, designed and implemented at the end of 2023 a program to neutralize the 220 kg drums containing waste from veterinary pharmaceutical products, eliminating the carcinogenic hazard. “With this, we can, in coordination with our clients' Safety and Environment teams, neutralize and mobilize these drums in a completely safe manner for the environment and people, and incorporate them into our circular economy neutralization-recycling program,” stated Amtmann. 

Animal Welfare

In March of this year, Saproform and Neutra-F from Pacific Chem Laboratory were among the finalists for the “Happy Salmon” animal welfare award among many high-value innovation and development initiatives, organized by Salmonexpert, in conjunction with FISA, within the framework of the recent AquaSur 2024 Fair.

Although the company did not win the award, the idea of enhancing the concept of animal welfare within the development of its pharmaceutical products, as well as the operation of the Laboratory -partner of SalmonChile and member of the Marca Chile Program- made a deep impact. Consequently, they set out to accelerate and energize the efforts that the company has been making for years, which is materialized by achieving the Welfcert Animal Welfare Certification for Saproform, in addition to the ISO 9001 re-certification of the entire integrated management and quality system of the Laboratory, obtained in September 2023.

According to Amtmann, "these results are only possible thanks to collaborative work with professionals from various entities such as the Austral University of Chile and Concepción; the regional ministries of Environment and Health, Quivet, EcoSalmon, AquaChile, AlfaSea, and of course, the entire work team of the Pacific Chem Business Group, so we can already assure more and new solutions in various areas of our work".