Tasmania's farmed salmon industry has received federal approval for the emergency use of the antibiotic florfenicol in its pens — the first time it has been approved for use in aquaculture in Australia.

On the day of the approval, Tassal started using florfenicol at two salmon farm leases at Dover in Tasmania's far south, and other companies are expected to begin using it soon.

Tasmania's director of public health, Mark Veitch, issued a statement on Friday afternoon recommending people not consume fish caught within 3 kilometres of a salmon pen being treated with florfenicol.

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