Veterinary drugs for animals cannot be bought casually; pet medications may be imported on one's own
When people get sick, they see a doctor for a diagnosis and a prescription to obtain medicine, but when the poultry and livestock animals raised by farmers fall ill, they mostly ask the drug sellers or sales representatives who sell veterinary drugs directly. These veterinary drug sellers, whom farmers call "Wang Lu Zi Xian" (self-styled miracle workers), come from complex backgrounds: some are sales staff from drug companies, while others are small traders who are "self-taught." To prevent illegal operators from recklessly selling counterfeit drugs or legal drugs flowing into the hands of illegal operators for sale, the Council of Agriculture drafted partial amendments to the "Veterinary Drugs Control Act." The draft passed the Executive Yuan meeting today, and after future review and amendment by the Legislative Yuan, farmers or sellers who cannot provide proof of drug source may be fined 90,000 to 450,000 yuan.
Tracking the circulation of veterinary drugs: farmers must prove the source of their purchases
The sources and circulation of veterinary drugs on the market are complex. In the past, whether veterinary drugs were legally manufactured by domestic manufacturers or legally imported by importers, as long as they were sold domestically, an application for "inspection registration" had to be filed with the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ) of the Council of Agriculture in accordance with regulations. Only after domestic manufacturers obtained manufacturing permits and importers obtained import permits could the drugs legally circulate on the market.
"This amendment not only regulates drugs, but also strengthens the qualification management of sellers." Hsieh Tsung-fa, section chief of the Drug Management Section of the Animal Quarantine Division of BAPHIQ, emphasized that in the past, besides illegal operators manufacturing counterfeit drugs and peddling them everywhere, there was another type of violation in which legal drugs flowed through large, medium, and small distributors: "Sold here, sold there, and if one link in the middle is not a legal operator, problems with drug flow will arise."
Hsieh Tsung-fa said that veterinary drugs pass through too many hands. In the past, when the Council of Agriculture cooperated with judicial investigators, investigations were often forced to stop halfway. To make management more direct and simple, the new draft amendment directly stipulates that legal drugs must be sold by legal operators. In future inspections, farmers or operators must be able to independently produce source proof such as invoices and sales slips; otherwise, inspection units may directly reasonably suspect the drugs are illegal and impose a fine of 90,000 to 450,000 yuan.
After livestock and aquaculture drug residues exceed standards, movement and transfer are prohibited
Last year, several breakfast chains such as Laya Burger and McMiaodeng tested eggs and meat products with excessive antibiotic residues, and the lingering concern remains. The newly proposed "Veterinary Drugs Control Act" also strengthens food safety controls for poultry meat, aquatic products, eggs, and milk.
Hsieh Tsung-fa explained that the original law stipulated a "withdrawal period" for poultry, livestock, and aquatic products. Before the withdrawal period ended, they could not be sold, transferred, or supplied for slaughter, processing, or consumption. However, different organisms may have exceptional cases, and some operators even privately moved or transferred them to other operators before the withdrawal period ended. Therefore, in the future, management will directly follow the Ministry of Health and Welfare's "Animal Drug Residue Standards." Once drug residues are detected as exceeding the limit, these poultry and livestock products may not be moved, transferred, or supplied for slaughter.
Hsieh Tsung-fa said that in the past, the "Veterinary Drugs Control Act" could not directly issue a "movement control order," so even if poultry and livestock products with excessive drug residues were discovered, assistance through the "Consumer Protection Act" was still needed to require operators not to resell them. The new amendment directly incorporates movement control orders, so BAPHIQ can initiate them on its own in the future. If operators still fail to comply, they can be directly fined 30,000 to 150,000 yuan.
Opening up overseas purchases of pet medicines; encouraging biotech firms to research and develop veterinary drugs
In addition, the new draft amendment also includes encouraging domestic biotech firms to research and develop veterinary drugs and opening up for the public to directly bring in small quantities of publicly announced permitted veterinary drugs from abroad. Hsieh Tsung-fa said that currently only manufacturers with licenses can research and develop veterinary drugs, but many biotech firms have research and development capabilities and may not be able to open manufacturing plants. Therefore, referring to the spirit of "separation of factory and license" in the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, regulations are relaxed so biotech firms can apply for licenses, research and develop veterinary drugs, and then commission GMP-certified factories to produce the drugs.
Bringing veterinary drugs in from abroad is good news for many pet owners. Hsieh Tsung-fa said that countries such as those in Europe and America have many more advanced veterinary drugs for cardiovascular and kidney conditions, but Taiwan's market is too small and may not attract foreign operators to import them to Taiwan. After future amendments, the public may bring in small quantities of veterinary drugs publicly announced and permitted by BAPHIQ for personal use. Currently, veterinary drugs with biological safety risks such as vaccines and sera are preliminarily excluded. Detailed drugs, dosages, and the quantity each person may bring in will be separately regulated in a limited-quantity schedule.