DTAB wants stakeholder’s consultation in DCC on presence of banned antibiotics in food producing animals

The Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), which advises the Central and State governments on the technical matters related to the drugs regulation and administration, has recommended a stakeholder’s consultation to develop a strategy to address the issue of usage of banned antibiotics in food producing animals, in the wake of the rising trend of rejections of shrimp export consignments in European Union (EU) owing to the presence of antibiotics in samples.

It has also recommended that the matter should also be deliberated in the Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC) to ensure proper implementation of the provisions under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules, restricting diversion of such drugs for illegal use in food producing animals.

The 89th DTAB meeting, held under the Chairmanship of Prof (Dr) Atul Goel, Director General of Health Services, on May 10, picked up the topic for deliberation as the Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA), a statutory body under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for the promotion of marine products exports from the country, about the availability of any pharmacologically active substances including antibiotics that are already banned for use in agriculture.

This use of banned antibiotics and other drugs are causing menace in the form of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is an increasingly serious threat to public health. The results of National Residual Control Plan (NRCP) for agriculture analysis showed that the banned antibiotics are detected in shrimp samples indicating the usage of those compounds which leads to rising trend of rejections of shrimp export consignments in EU. The MPEDA requested the health ministry to take measures that will restrict availability and usage of banned antibiotics in food producing animals, including shrimps.

According to a Gazette Notification on July 20, 2018 by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, under the Ministry of Health, various antibiotics and veterinary drugs including Nitrofurans such as Furaltadone, Furazolidone, Nitrofurantoin, Nitrofurazone and Chloramphenicol are not permitted to be used at any stage of processing of meat and meat products, poultry and eggs, sea foods including shrimps, prawns or any variety of fish and fishery products.

The Extraneous Maximum Residue Limit of 0.001 mg/kg will be applicable except for Chloramphenicol for which it shall be 0.0003 mg/kg.

Considering the request, the DTAB recommended that a stakeholders’ consultation including FSSAI, Department of Animal husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), department of fisheries and ministry of agriculture & farmers welfare, and MPEDA should be held for developing strategy and for taking further action in the matter.

The Board also recommended that the matter should also be deliberated in the DCC for ensuring proper implementation of the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules thereunder so that the antibiotics are not diverted for illegal use in food producing animals, aquaculture including shrimps.

Instances in which regions such as the European Union and others reject shrimp consignments from India owing to the presence of antibiotics has been reported for over a decade now.

According to Southern Shrimp Alliance, an organisation of shrimp fishermen, processors and other members in eight States in the United States of America, the US Food and Drug Administration has refused sixty entry lines of shrimp during the year 2022, because of presence of antibiotics in samples and nearly half of them (29 out of 60) were for shrimp originating from India, while eleven were from Thailand and ten were from Bangladesh. The remaining ten entry line refusals involved shrimp from Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, China and Mexico, it said in a database of refused shipments in January 6, 2023. It has also reported more such refusals of shipments from India in almost every month of this year.

DTAB noted that the ministry of health and family welfare in consultation with various stakeholders developed the National Action Plan on AMR (NAP-AMR), which was officially released on April 19, 2017. The details of the action taken/planned for implementation of the interventions/activities on the points pertaining to CDSCO were shared with NAP-AMR Secretariat under the Ministry of Health.

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