EU sampling strategies for the detection of veterinary drug residues in aquaculture species: Are they working?

Abstract

Over the past 50 years, the culture of aquatic species in controlled conditions to enhance production has grown in importance and now provides nearly 50% of the world's seafood supply. In part, this expansion has been made possible by the use of antibiotics, antifungals, and other veterinary medicines to control disease and improve welfare. Despite guidelines being available, the sampling programmes for drug residue surveillance of aquaculture products recommended by the CODEX Alimentarius Commission were withdrawn in 2008 and put under review. Directive 96/23/EC sets out legislation to govern how sampling programmes for drug residue surveillance should be conducted within the EU. This directive applies both to produce raised within the EU and also imported products from third countries. This communication examines the existing EU sampling regimen for aquaculture products and comments on its possible application in a global context. We examine UK statutory sampling data that, while indicating the effectiveness of the directive, also suggests that the directive may lead to unnecessary sampling. Regarding imports, examination of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) database using process control charts and statistical modelling suggests that the sampling regimen described in the directive is effective but not sufficiently flexible for the range of aquaculture practices that exist. Limitations of the directive, datasets, and practices are further discussed.

Residues of veterinary drugs in fish and fish products: An analysis of RASFF data over the last 20 years

“…RASFF notifications are issued for infringements of current regulations on food safety and hygiene, and do not indicate the underlying sampling efforts involved. Thus, the main limit of the current study is that the notification countsa, while demonstrating a particular issue with a product or country, cannot adequately reflect the scale of the problem, which could be amplified as a result of increased vigilance (Morris et al, 2012). In addition, despite being a legal obligation for all RASFF members, non-compliant products may not always be notified.…”

Food Safety Hazards and Microbiological Zoonoses in European Meat Imports Detected in Border Inspection in the Period 2008–2013

“…Although more notifications on Salmonella have been triggered than ever in recent years, incidents of human Salmonellosis are decreasing (EFSA, ). Therefore, consistent and stringent testing regimes applied and notified by RASFF seem to efficiently reduce the number of hazardous products on the market, not only for meat and meat products (Morris et al., ).…”

Review of alternatives to antibiotic use in aquaculture

“…In fact, a survey conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in 2012 reported oxytetracycline, florfenicol and trimethoprim/sulfadiazine as the most commonly used antibiotics for controlling diseases on farms 5 . The availability and use of antibiotics in aquaculture vary widely and is controlled in Europe, 6 North America and Japan, but not in many developing countries, that dominate aquaculture production 7 . For example, Norway and Scotland use ~0.02–0.39 g of antibiotics per metric tonne (MT) of harvested salmon, compared to ~660 g per MT in Chile 7 .…”