Crackdown on banned drugs in aquaculture

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said it will carry out a campaign to assess veterinary drug residue in aquatic products from all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.

From April to September, local agricultural affairs authorities will each sample at least 4,000 batches of aquatic products at random.

Quality inspection institutions will test the samples to see if they have excessive residual amounts of banned veterinary drugs such as nitrofuran and ofloxacin. The ministry will publicize the test results.

Local authorities should monitor and regulate the use of veterinary drugs on aquatic products, build a long-term mechanism to control drug residues and crack down more harshly on the illegal use of such drugs, the ministry said.

The ministry also said it will continue its nationwide campaign to encourage farmers to use less veterinary drugs on aquatic products and use them the right way.

Xinhua contributed to this story.