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RegulationAnimal Health

Maladies des animaux aquatiques

By January 15th, 2021February 2nd, 2021No Comments

Document type : Dossier published on the Ministry of Agriculture and Food website

Preview: The missions of the French Directorate General for Food (DGAL) are organised around the following principle: "to strengthen policies for food, animal and plant safety and quality in order to support consumer health and increase the export capacity of our agriculture".

The aquaculture sector (fish, molluscs and, secondarily, crustaceans) operates within a complex and strongly international regulatory context. It is often viewed as a promising sector but is still fragile in terms of its ability to meet health requirements.

It was in this context of specific environmental requirements associated with ecological continuity, the European context and the diversity of stakeholders, that the DGAL asked the CGAAER to produce a report on the continental fish industry. The 21 recommendations in this report are grouped by theme: the sector, the participants, regulation and the use of pharmaceuticals.

Plan for Fish Health 2020

On the basis of these recommendations, an action plan has been drawn up that aims to give visibility and coherence to the actions to be carried out.

Accordingly, the "Plan for Fish Health 2020" focuses on French fish farms and is divided into 3 areas.

The first area: "improving health management and supervision" includes four actions. One of these involves bringing together the various stakeholders to form a national monitoring committee whose objectives are to monitor the progress of the strategic plan and to ensure that the sector is represented at all levels of the new health governance system.

The second area: "optimisation of animal health approval procedures", aims to consolidate the legal basis for animal health approval, to define the guidelines for the analysis of health risks, to finalise a guide to good health practices and to publish health information on farms.

The third area: "safeguarding a high level of health" will be achieved through 8 actions to:

- review of the list of health hazards and develop health strategies;

- control the health consequences of restoring the ecological continuity of watercourses;

- continue to monitor the workings of the European Animal Health Act to emphasise French positions;

- make use of the European Fund for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (EFFAMP) for the benefit of health ;

- ensure the market availability of veterinary drugs.

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From the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food website