Answer: what is the impact of the withdrawal of drug feed additives on the aquaculture industry?

Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Village issued a notice No. 194 to implement growth-promoting drug feed additives (except traditional Chinese medicine) to withdraw from the action. Why should this action be carried out? What are the main contents of drug feed additive withdrawal and management policy adjustment? What is the impact on aquaculture? How to do a good job of implementation? On related issues, the reporter interviewed the person in charge of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture and villages.

Q: why did the Ministry of Agriculture and villages implement the withdrawal of drug feed additives?

A: the 19th CPC National Congress made a major decision to implement the rural revitalization strategy and food safety strategy, and the development of animal husbandry is facing new tasks and requirements. In the new historical period, centering on the goal of "excellent supply, strong safety, and ecological protection", we persist in promoting animal husbandry through quality and green, accelerate the shift from production-oriented to quality-oriented, and solidly promote the supply-side structural reform of animal husbandry, speed up the modernization of animal husbandry, realize the green development of animal husbandry, maintain the quality and safety of animal products and public health, so that the broad masses of consumers can eat safely, feel at ease, and eat healthily.

Veterinary drugs are indispensable inputs in the process of breeding. Standardized use can promote the development of the aquaculture industry without problems such as veterinary drug residues, but if used improperly or even abused, it will bring risks of veterinary drug residues and drug resistance of bacteria from animal sources. bring risks to food safety and public health safety. In recent years, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council have attached great importance to the comprehensive management of veterinary antimicrobials, requiring strengthening the special treatment of veterinary antimicrobials and curbing the phenomenon of excessive veterinary drug residues and drug resistance of bacteria from animal origin. People from all walks of life also pay close attention to the problems such as drug resistance of bacteria and excessive residues of veterinary drugs. In accordance with the deployment requirements of the National Action Plan for curbing bacterial Drug Resistance (2016-2020) and the National Action Plan for curbing bacterial Drug Resistance of Animal Origin (2017-2020), we decided to implement the withdrawal of growth-promoting drug feed additives (except traditional Chinese medicine). Promote the breeding process "good drug use" and "less drug use" to maintain the quality and safety of animal products, public health safety and ecological safety.

Q: what are the main contents of drug feed additive withdrawal and management policy adjustment?

Answer: first, all the growth-promoting drug feed additives (except traditional Chinese medicine) are withdrawn, and the varieties of anti-coccidial drug feed additives are retained. The second is to change the way of variety management of anti-coccidial and traditional Chinese medicine feed additives, instead of issuing the approval number of "veterinary medicine", it can be used in the process of commercial feed and breeding. Third, for the varieties that have both the effect of promoting growth and the prevention and control of epidemic disease, the product quality standards should be revised, the effect of promoting growth should be deleted, and only the role of prevention and control of epidemic disease should be retained.

Q: please talk about policy formulation.

In January 2018, we began to carry out a comprehensive and systematic study on the withdrawal policy of drug feed additives. Experts from the National expert Committee on Veterinary Drug residues and Drug Resistance Control have been organized three times to discuss the withdrawal of drug feed additives. After drawing lessons from the management policies of drug feed additives in developed regions and countries such as the European Union, the United States and Japan, and combined with the national conditions of our country, the expert Committee suggested that the withdrawal scope of drug feed additives in China is basically consistent with the management policy of the European Union, that is, all growth-promoting drug feed additives (except traditional Chinese medicine) are withdrawn, and anti-coccidial drug feed additives are retained.

In March 2019, we openly solicited opinions from the public on the withdrawal plan of drug feed additives. A total of 25 units gave feedback, and all units generally supported our ministry in implementing the withdrawal action of growth-promoting drug feed additives.

Q: what is the impact on the aquaculture industry after the withdrawal of pharmaceutical feed additives?

For a long time, China's aquaculture industry is highly dependent on veterinary drugs, including drug feed additives, especially the protective effect of poor breeding conditions on farms and young animals is still difficult to replace. After withdrawing the drug feed additive, if the culture method is not upgraded, some farmers will encounter production problems and difficulties to a certain extent.

During the demonstration period, we also organized the China Animal Husbandry Association and the National Pig Industry Technology system to evaluate the impact of drug feed additives on the breeding industry. The China Animal Husbandry Association solicited opinions from more than 300 livestock and poultry breeding enterprises, none of which raised any objection. The technical system of the national pig industry has been evaluated by experts that the withdrawal of drug feed additives is feasible and necessary, and with the improvement of the level of large-scale breeding in China, the impact of the withdrawal plan on China's pig industry can be controlled as a whole. However, considering the current situation of pig breeding environment in China, the withdrawal of drug feed additives will have a certain impact on pig breeding efficiency. The mortality rate of piglets during the breeding period is expected to increase by 1%, and the survival rate of the whole process is expected to decrease by 0.5%. It is expected to return to the normal level in about 3 years.

Based on the comprehensive situation, we believe that the impact of the withdrawal of drug feed additives on the aquaculture industry is generally controllable, which is of great significance to the maintenance of animal product quality safety, public health safety and ecological security.

Q: how to do a good job in the implementation of notice No. 194?

A: the key to the implementation of the policy lies in action, and the focus is on implementation. Animal husbandry and veterinary administrative departments at all levels should do a good job in implementation from the following aspects: first, they should do a good job in propaganda. It is necessary to take various forms to strengthen the publicity of the spirit of the No. 194 announcement, so that enterprises and employees are familiar with the main contents of the announcement, and stop producing, operating, and using corresponding drug and feed additives in accordance with the requirements and time nodes. We will earnestly safeguard animal health, the quality and safety of animal products, and the health of the people. Second, it is necessary to strengthen supervision and guidance. Animal husbandry and veterinary administrative departments at all levels should conscientiously perform the functions of supervision and inspection, strengthen the supervision and inspection of the implementation of the announcement, study and solve the new situations and problems encountered in the implementation of the announcement in a timely manner, and promptly point out and correct the problems found in the process of inspection, so as to promote the effective implementation of the announcement. Third, we must strictly enforce the law. Animal husbandry and veterinary administrative departments at all levels should earnestly perform their duties, strengthen supervision and law enforcement, and investigate and deal with illegal production, operation, and use of drug and feed additives together, and earnestly implement the provisions of the announcement. Fourth, we should encourage the research and development of alternative products and technologies for antimicrobials. Animal husbandry and veterinary administrative departments at all levels should actively strive for policy support and encourage research on antimicrobial alternative products and technologies to meet the actual needs of animal husbandry production.