'Suhyup Can't Believe This'... Producing and Selling Antibiotic Feed

Jeju Suhyup Manufactures Without Antibiotic Residue Testing
Also Conceals Distribution of Mixed Pig Meat Powder

A fisheries cooperative in Jeju was caught making and selling feed from dead fish containing residual antibiotics for veterinary use. The cooperative is also suspected of generating sales worth around 30 billion KRW by selling mixed feed that concealed pig-derived ingredients.

Seogwipo Coast Guard is collecting feed from a feed sack for component analysis.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 26th, the Seogwipo Coast Guard announced that it had sent Jeju-based A Fisheries Cooperative and B Distribution Company to the prosecution on charges of violating the Feed Management Act, and C Feed Company on charges of violating the Feed Management Act and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (fraud).

A Fisheries Cooperative is suspected of collecting dead fish containing the veterinary antibiotic 'Enrofloxacin' from fish farms between October last year and March this year, then manufacturing and selling 175 tons of fish feed (dead fish meal) worth about 250 million KRW using these as raw materials.

Enrofloxacin is a drug used to treat digestive, respiratory, and bacterial diseases in various livestock and farmed fish. It can be used on farmed fish as long as residue levels do not exceed the standard, but no amount of residue is allowed when the product is shipped.

However, in April, this substance was detected in feed supplied to flatfish at a fish farm in the Seogwipo area. In May, after a formal investigation request, the Coast Guard traced the distribution route backward and confirmed that the first place to manufacture and distribute the feed was A Fisheries Cooperative.

Normally, farmed fish that are shipped undergo a withdrawal period of about 90 days to ensure no antibiotic residues remain. However, dead fish during farming are more likely to retain such substances, so antibiotic residue tests must be conducted before distribution.

Nevertheless, the Coast Guard stated that A Fisheries Cooperative did not conduct antibiotic residue tests on dead farmed fish or feed made from dead farmed fish.

Concealing Pig Meat Meal Ingredients and Generating 30 Billion KRW in Sales

In addition, from January 2021 to April this year, A Fisheries Cooperative produced 15,000 tons of mixed feed using meat meal made from relatively cheap pig by-products mixed with fish meal but did not label the ingredient names on the packaging and generated illicit sales of 30 billion KRW.

While pig by-products can be mixed with fish meal to reduce production costs, the Feed Management Act requires that ingredients with a large mixing ratio must be clearly indicated on the packaging.

The Coast Guard believes that A Fisheries Cooperative deliberately concealed the ingredient names because fish farmers tend to avoid mixed feed containing meat meal.

B Distribution Company, located in Gyeongnam, is suspected of purchasing this feed from A Fisheries Cooperative and distributing it nationwide.

C Feed Manufacturer bought this cooperative feed at a low price from B Distribution Company, mixed it with other domestic feeds, and rebranded it as 'Chilean' feed preferred by fish farmers, a practice known as 'bag switching,' then sold it to three retail stores in the Jeju area, earning 900 million KRW.

The Coast Guard stated, "The 'prohibited antibiotic residue feed' made by the Jeju fisheries cooperative was distributed to other regions, disguised as Chilean feed, and then sold back to fish farms in Jeju as feed." They added, "The fisheries cooperative, which should be working to develop the aquaculture industry, committed illegal acts that damaged trust in the industry. Investigations will continue regarding newly discovered additional charges."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.