Proposal to protect consumers
According to the senate, this draft agreement requested to initiate procedures to ensure the rights of Chileans to have access to harmless and safe food, just as those consumers in countries where these products are being exported.
Among others, the project also proposes a presentation of this issue in the next meeting of CODEX Alimentarius (FAO-WHO) in order to initiate actions to control the trade of food from farms affected by outbreaks of viruses.
Meanwhile, the Association of the Chilean Salmon Industry (SalmonChile) emphatically rejected this proposal arguing that ISA, like all viruses, is highly specific; hence, transmission to humans would not be possible. “In fact, it only affects Atlantic salmon but not Coho salmon or Rainbow trout,” stated SalmonChile.
Besides, the association underscored that ISA virus is present in every salmon producing country and none of them has prohibited consumption of fish positive for this virus, because it is scientifically proven that it can not generate any harm to the human being.
"Unlike mammals, fish are poikilotherms (cold blooded) and their temperature is regulated by the environment. In this case, is not higher than 18 °C, while the ISA virus is unable to reproduce itself above 25 °C. As we know, human being temperature is of between 36.5 °C and 37.5 °C. Thereby, it prevents any replication of this virus in human cells," SalmonChile stated.
