Review of National Residue Control Programme for Aquaculture Drugs in Selected Countries

Residues of drugs in aquaculture-raised products could potentially cause health hazards for consumers. Most seafood importing countries have regulations on maximum residue limits (MRL) for veterinary drugs in aquaculture products. National MRLs are generally based on Codex and where there are no Codex recommendations, countries may develop MRLs based on risk assessments. Most importing countries have regulations that require aquacultureproducing countries to demonstrate compliance by implementing a National Residue Monitoring Programme (NRMP). To understand the regulations and implementation of NRMP in seafood exporting and importing countries, an analysis was made on the regulations in Canada and EU and NRMP implementation in four major exporting countries; China, Viet Nam, Malaysia and Philippines. Data source were from websites of seafood inspection agencies in the countries and reports of inspection from EU Food and Veterinary Office (FVO). All seafood exporting countries have harmonised their regulations with that of EU and data on the implementation of NRMP is available from these countries. The regulatory pressure from the importing countries seems to drive NRMP implementation in the exporting countries.