Rationale 4.4

Veterinary therapeutants are chemicals used to treat or improve health conditions in aquatic animals and include antibiotics, antiparasitics, antifungals, antivirals, hormones, anaesthetics and vaccines.

The use of therapeutants has provided many benefits to the aquaculture industry but has also resulted in their overuse and misuse. This has led to the creation of risks associated with the release of drugs or their metabolites to the environment, the presence of drug residues in final products for human consumption, and the development of antimicrobial resistance.111111World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). (2024). Aquatic Animal Health Code. Available online at https://www.woah.org/en/what-we-do/standards/codes-and-manuals/aquatic-code-online-access/

This Criterion focuses on the correct use of antibiotics and therapeutants on ASC-certified farms, including oversight, monitoring and efforts to reduce usage in line with ASC’s support of the World Health Organisation’s ‘One Health’ approach to reduce antibiotic dependency over time.112112World Health Organization (WHO). (2017). WHO guidelines on use of medically important antimicrobials in food-producing animals. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.

Intent – The aquaculture industry uses therapeutants responsibly and reduces reliance upon therapeutants over time.