REGULATED USE OF VETERINARY MEDICAL PRODUCTS IN INDIAN AQUACULTURE WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO FOOD SAFETY

Aquaculture constitutes 61% of India's 11.41 million tonnes of annual fish production, and shrimp constituted 68.47% of India's USD 7.08 billion fish and fishery export during the year 2017-18. Application of Veterinary Medical Products (VMPs) is an integral part of intensive finfish and shellfish culture operations. A national survey showed that the major VMPs sold in retail markets in the shrimp farming areas of India, fell under the categories soil and water conditioners (35%), nutritional supplements and feed additives (29%), probiotics and immune stimulants (15%), disinfectants (13%), antimicrobials (3%), antiparasitic agents (4%) and others (1%) out of over 1300 products. Farm-level usage pattern survey in major shrimp farming states recorded the application of 5.69±0.67 kg disinfectants, 15.84±0.52 kg probiotics, 36.01±1.29 kg environmental modifiers and 4.67±1.36 kg nutritional supplements per tonne of shrimp production. The present study revealed shrimp farms surveyed did not use antibiotics while limited numbers of fish farms reportedly used permitted antimicrobials exclusively for therapeutic purposes and no pharmacologically active substance was used as growth promoter at any stage of farming. Food safety with respect to antibiotic residues and antimicrobial resistance has been the major cause of concern in food animal production worldwide. In India, Department of Fisheries through Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA) ensures the absence of antibiotics and other pharmacologically active substances through mandatory registration. The aquaculture inputs are presently certified under the category of formulated feeds for larvae and grow-out, probiotics, chemicals, feed additives, immune stimulants, disinfectants and drugs (Fig.1).

Concerted efforts of regulatory and trade promoting agencies such as, Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Export Inspection Council (EIC) of India, Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA), Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA) and research organization like ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA) ensure safety and quality of seafood to domestic and international consumers. This has been reflected in the compound growth rate of 12.57 and 9.77 for exports and -2.42 and -7.00 for rejections of Indian exports to US and EU respectively in the fifteen years (2002-2017) longitudinal study suggesting the continual improvement in the safety compliance of Indian seafood traded in the international market. Improvements in monitoring and enforcement of rational usage of VMPs by state governments would further enhance India's seafood safety compliance levels.