Aquaculture chemical registration
Final report
Australian governments and agri-food industries are placing greater emphasis on marketing Australia as a supplier of high quality fresh produce. It is important that these “clean food” activities are underpinned by appropriate mechanisms that ensure the integrity of Australian product. Residue detection and any associated food safety issues will continue to attract considerable public interest. The challenge for the aquaculture industry, governments and regulatory authorities is to develop strategies that combine efficient production methods without detrimental effects to food products, the environment, the safety of target animals, and the safety of persons who administer the compounds.
The National Strategy on Aquaculture in Australia (1994), developed in cooperation with industry by the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments sets the strategic framework for future aquaculture development. The strategy identified chemical registration in the aquaculture industry as a priority issue. Consequently in 1995, the Aquaculture Committee (AC) operating under the auspices of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture (SCFA) established a National Taskforce (The Taskforce) comprising industry and government representatives to address the issue.
Based on the results of an extensive industry survey of drug and chemical usage in the Australian aquaculture industry conducted in 1995, this project has undertaken an assessment of the most appropriate drugs and chemicals and their use patterns for each sector of the industry.
This project has also developed and tested a cost-effective and efficient process in conjunction with NRA for attaining a legal basis for drug or chemical usage by the Australian aquaculture industry. This process is based on usual NRA requirements, but enables the legal use of appropriate chemicals where detailed information is not available.
Report on options for reducing the dependancy of the Australian aquaculture industry, ornamental fish industry, commercial and recreational fishing industry and stockfeed industry on imported aquatic imports
Final report
In 1995 a National Task Force on Imported Fish and Fish Products was set up by the then Minister for Primary Industries and Energy, Senator Bob Collins and the Minister for Resources, David Bedall. This was in response to a number of events which had raised concern within Australia regarding the potential for imported aquatic products to introduce exotic pathogens and pest species into Australian waters. The Task Force was comprised of a broad range of representatives from key Cornrnowealth agencies, State agencies, research organisations, industry, recreational and environmental groups. The role of the Task Force was to address all relevant matters relating to the use of imported aquatic animals and their products, including fish health and quality, socioeconomic, industry and environmental aspects in order to develop a policy framework and nationally agreed mechanisms for the importation and handling of aquatic imports. The Task Force was also to address all relevant aspects of the ''Report of the Scientific Working Party on Aquatic Animal Quarantine" (BRS Report).
The Task Force established a Working Group to provide analysis and prepare reports on specific subjects for the main Task Force and reported jointly to the Ministerial Council for Forestry, Fisheries and Aquaculture (MCFFA) and the Agricultural and Resources Ministerial Council of Australia and New Zealand (ARMCANZ) in December 1996.