FAO Fisheries Department
Improving biosecurity through prudent and responsible use of veterinary medicines in aquatic food production
13-2-2013
The current trend towards increasing intensification and diversification of global aquaculture has led
to its dramatic growth, thus making aquaculture an important food-producing sector that provides
an essential source of aquatic protein for a growing human population. For both developed and
developing countries, the sector is recognized as creator of jobs and an important source of foreign
export earnings. The expansion of commercial aquaculture, as is the case in commercial livestock
and poultry production, has necessitated the routine use of veterinary medicines to prevent and treat
disease outbreaks owing to pathogens, assure healthy stocks and maximize production. The expanded
and occasionally irresponsible global movements of live aquatic animals have been accompanied by
the transboundary spread of a wide variety of pathogens that have sometimes caused serious damage
to aquatic food productivity and resulted in serious pathogens becoming endemic in culture systems
and the natural aquatic environment. The use of appropriate antimicrobial treatments is one of the
most effective management responses to emergencies associated with infectious disease epizootics.
However, their inappropriate use can lead to problems related to increased frequency of bacterial
resistance and the potential transfer of resistance genes in bacteria from the aquatic environment
to other bacteria. Injudicious use of antimicrobials has also resulted in the occurrence of their
residues in aquaculture products and, as a consequence, bans by importing countries and associated
economic impacts, including market loss, have occurred. As disease emergencies can happen even
in well-managed aquaculture operations, careful planning on the use of antimicrobials is essential
in order to maximize their efficacy and minimize the selection pressure for increased frequencies of
resistant variants. The prudent and responsible use of veterinary medicines is an essential component
of successful commercial aquaculture production systems.
The FAO/AAHRI Expert Workshop on Improving Biosecurity through Prudent and Responsible
Use of Veterinary Medicines in Aquatic Food Production was convened in Bangkok, Thailand, from
15 to 18 December 2009, in order to understand the current status of the use of antimicrobials in
aquaculture and to discuss the concerns and impacts of their irresponsible use on human health, the
aquatic environment and trade. Such discussions became the basis for drafting recommendations
targeted for both government and private sectors and for developing guiding principles on the
responsible use of antimicrobials in aquaculture to be considered as part of future FAO Code of
Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) Technical Guidelines on Prudent and Responsible Use
of Veterinary Medicines in Aquaculture.
Because aquaculture is expected to continue to increase its contribution to the world’s production
of aquatic food, offer opportunities to alleviate poverty, increase employment and community
development and reduce overexploitation of natural aquatic resources, appropriate guidance to
aquaculture stakeholders on the responsible use of veterinary medicines has become essential. Safe
and effective veterinary medicines need to be available for efficient aquaculture production, and
their use should be in line with established principles on prudent use to safeguard public and animal
health. The use of such medicines should be part of national and on-farm biosecurity plans and in
accordance with an overall national policy for sustainable aquaculture.
This publication is presented in two parts: Part 1 contains 15 technical background papers
presented during the expert workshop, contributed by 29 specialists, and which served as a basis for
the expert workshop deliberations; Part 2 contains the highlights of the expert workshop.
Click to access ba0056e.pdf
Dr. Bukar Ali USMAN, mni 
EMAIL
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