Veterinary Drugs
The use of veterinary drugs in aquaculture is stringently regulated by international agreements and standards and by national law. This is particularly true for the culture of aquatic organisms destined for human consumption, such that in most countries only a few treatments are available for aquaculturists for use against aquatic animal diseases.
Veterinary drugs include theraputants and antimicrobials, including antibiotics. International protocols, regional agreements and national legislation typically define what drugs may be used in the treatment of disease in cultured animals, the circumstances and conditions under which a drug can be applied, the required withdrawal period and the maximum residue level (MRL) permitted in the tissues of aquaculture produce.
Many countries have prohibited the use of certain drugs in aquaculture due to their known or suspected toxicity to humans even when present in minute amounts. The presence of drugs such as nitrofuran, malachite green, gentian violet and flouroquinolones, or of certain antibiotics such as the chloramphenicol, in shipments of imported aquaculture products has resulted in serious economic impacts on the aquaculture industries of several countries due to the banning of imports by major trading partners such as the European Union and the United States (see, for example, http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/seafood062807.html).
