Atlantic Veterinary College lab loses status
Posted Jul 8, 2013 07:24:44 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
There are concerns among scientists there could be a reluctance to report a deadly fish virus after a Prince Edward Island lab lost a special status by an international agency.
The lab at the Atlantic Veterinary College is run by Fred Kibenge.
It came under scrutiny in 2011 when it said it found evidence of infectious salmon anemia in B.C.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Kibenge’s results weren’t corroborated and it sent its results to the World Organization for Animal Health.
That group delisted the P.E.I. lab in June.
Researchers say they were stunned by the move, as the lab is one of only two in the world recognized by the world body to test for the salmon virus.
Critics say the government went after Kibenge’s work to protect B-C’s salmon exports.
Rick Routledge, a professor at Simon Fraser University, says the loss of the special status might put a chill on research.
The World Organization for Animal Health says inadequacies were found and the decision was not political.
