To curtail the use of banned antibiotics in aquaculture, the state has constituted a district-level committee (DLC) and a task force committee (TFC) to take stringent measures against violators.
If found with any veterinary grade-I banned aqua products, TFC will seize the same and impose a penalty of Rs 25,000 as a first offense. In case of the second violation, the defaulter is liable for a penalty of Rs 50,000, cancellation of the license of the aqua shop, and prosecution.
The TFC is authorized to make frequent raids and random checks on all shops, manufacturing units, and companies and suppliers of drugs, probiotics, chemicals, feeds, feed supplements, farms, hatcheries, etc., and verify them. They are also authorized to act on the unauthorized possession of the products. The TFC will ensure that only Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA) registered products are sold alone in aqua shops and that the aqua shops do not sell veterinary-grade products They will also encourage aqua-grade drugs registered with CAA Only
TFC will also take random samples from different aqua shops and send the sealed samples to Drugs Control Authority and food safety departments or any other government institute for analysis and report for taking further action.
They will also inspect whether proper labeling is made on the product with information, such as the name of the product, net weight of the product, composition date of manufacture date of expiry, maximum retail price of the product, etc. There are also authorized to send proposals for the establishment of quality control laboratories to conduct screening tests for antibiotic residues in tissues of aqua products.
The TFC will conduct awareness and campaigns among the stakeholders on the impact of the indiscriminate usage of antibiotics in aquaculture. They will also create awareness among the manufacturers, suppliers, marketers, and aqua shops to get their products registered with CAA.
Source: The Times of India
