What impact does the withdrawal of medicated feed additives have on the livestock industry?
Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued Announcement No. 194, implementing the withdrawal of growth-promoting medicated feed additives (excluding traditional Chinese medicine ones). Why implement this action? What are the main contents of the withdrawal of medicated feed additives and the adjustment of management policies? What is the impact on the livestock industry? How to do a good job in implementation? Regarding related issues, the reporter interviewed the relevant person in charge of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
Q: Why did the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs implement the withdrawal of medicated feed additives?
A: The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China made major decisions and arrangements for implementing the rural revitalization strategy and the food safety strategy, and the development of the livestock industry faces new tasks and requirements. In the new historical period, centering on the goals of “optimizing supply, strengthening safety, and protecting ecology,” we adhere to developing animal husbandry through quality and green development, accelerate the shift from a production-oriented approach to a quality-oriented approach, solidly advance the supply-side structural reform of the livestock industry, accelerate the modernization of the livestock industry, achieve green development of the breeding industry, safeguard the quality and safety of animal products and public health safety, and let the vast number of consumers eat safely, with confidence, and healthily.
Veterinary drugs are indispensable inputs in the breeding process. Standardized use can promote the development of the breeding industry and will not cause problems such as veterinary drug residues, but improper or even abusive use will bring risks of veterinary drug residues and antimicrobial resistance in animals, posing risks and hidden dangers to food safety and public health safety. In recent years, the Party Central Committee and the State Council have attached great importance to the comprehensive treatment of veterinary antimicrobials, requiring strengthened special rectification of veterinary antimicrobials and curbing of excessive veterinary drug residues and antimicrobial resistance in animals. All sectors of society also pay close attention to issues such as bacterial resistance and excessive veterinary drug residues. In accordance with the deployment requirements of the National Action Plan for Containment of Bacterial Resistance (2016-2020) and the National Action Plan for Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance in Animals (2017-2020), we decided to implement the withdrawal of growth-promoting medicated feed additives (excluding traditional Chinese medicine ones), promote the use of “good drugs” and “fewer drugs” in the breeding process, and safeguard the quality and safety of animal products, public health safety, and ecological safety.
Q: What are the main contents of the withdrawal of medicated feed additives and the adjustment of management policies?
A: First, all growth-promoting medicated feed additives (excluding traditional Chinese medicine ones) are withdrawn, while anticoccidial medicated feed additive varieties are retained. Second, the management method for anticoccidial and traditional Chinese medicine medicated feed additive varieties is changed; “Veterinary Drug Additive” approval numbers will no longer be issued, and they will be changed to “Veterinary Drug” approval numbers, which can be used in commercial feed and in the breeding process. Third, for varieties that have both growth-promoting and disease-prevention and treatment effects, the product quality standards are revised, the growth-promoting effect is deleted, and only the disease-prevention and treatment effect is retained.
Q: Please talk about the relevant situation of policy formulation.
In January 2018, we began comprehensive and systematic research on the policy for the withdrawal of medicated feed additives. We organized relevant experts from the National Expert Committee on Veterinary Drug Residues and Resistance Control three times to discuss the issue of the withdrawal of medicated feed additives. After drawing on the management policies for medicated feed additives of developed regions and countries such as the European Union, the United States, and Japan, and combining them with China's national conditions, the expert committee suggested that the scope of China's withdrawal of medicated feed additives should be basically consistent with the European Union's management policy, that is, all growth-promoting medicated feed additives (excluding traditional Chinese medicine ones) should be withdrawn, while anticoccidial medicated feed additives should be retained.
In March 2019, we publicly solicited opinions from society on the withdrawal plan for medicated feed additives. A total of 25 units provided feedback, and all units generally supported our ministry's implementation of the withdrawal of growth-promoting medicated feed additives.
Q: What impact does the withdrawal of medicated feed additives have on the livestock industry?
For a long time, China's livestock industry has been highly dependent on veterinary drugs, including medicated feed additives, and especially for farms with poorer breeding conditions and for the protection of young animals, their role is still difficult to replace. After the withdrawal of medicated feed additives, if breeding methods are not upgraded, some breeders will encounter production problems and difficulties to a certain extent.
During the demonstration period, we also organized the China Animal Agriculture Association and the National Pig Industry Technology System to evaluate the impact of the withdrawal of medicated feed additives on the livestock industry. The China Animal Agriculture Association solicited opinions from more than 300 livestock and poultry breeding enterprises, and none raised objections. The National Pig Industry Technology System, after organizing expert evaluation, believed that the withdrawal of medicated feed additives is feasible and necessary; with the improvement of China's large-scale breeding level, the impact of implementing the withdrawal plan on China's pig industry is generally controllable; however, considering the current state of China's pig breeding environment, the withdrawal of medicated feed additives will have a certain impact on pig breeding efficiency in the early stage. The mortality rate of piglets during the nursery period is expected to increase by 1 percentage point, and the overall survival rate is expected to decrease by 0.5 percentage points. It is expected that the normal level can be restored in about 3 years.
Looking at the situation in all respects, we believe that the impact of the withdrawal of medicated feed additives on the livestock industry is generally controllable, and it is of great significance for safeguarding the quality and safety of animal products, public health safety, and ecological safety.
Q: How can we do a good job in implementing Announcement No. 194?
A: The key to implementing the policy lies in action, and the focus is on implementation. Animal husbandry and veterinary management departments at all levels should do a good job in implementation from the following aspects: First, do a good job in publicity. Various forms should be adopted to strengthen publicity of the spirit of Announcement No. 194, so that enterprises and practitioners are fully familiar with the main contents of the announcement, stop producing, operating, and using the corresponding medicated feed additives in accordance with the requirements and time nodes, and effectively safeguard animal health, the quality and safety of animal products, and the health of the people. Second, strengthen supervision and guidance. Animal husbandry and veterinary management departments at all levels should earnestly perform their supervision and inspection functions, strengthen supervision and inspection of the implementation of the announcement, promptly study and solve new situations and new problems encountered in the implementation of the announcement, and promptly point out and correct problems found during inspection, so as to promote the effective implementation of the announcement. Third, strictly enforce the law. Animal husbandry and veterinary management departments at all levels should earnestly perform their duties, strengthen supervision and law enforcement, and for acts of producing, operating, and using medicated feed additives in violation of laws and regulations, investigate and deal with each one found, and truly put the provisions of the announcement into effect. Fourth, encourage the research and development of antimicrobial alternative products and technologies. Animal husbandry and veterinary management departments at all levels should actively strive for policy support, encourage research on antimicrobial alternative products and technologies, and meet the actual needs of livestock production.