The Government Analyst Department is reminding all importers of veterinary drugs that it has implemented a programme to regularise the importation and sale of such drugs in order to reduce the incidence of unauthorised drugs or residues appearing in food products.
In a press release, the Department said it collaborated with the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) and the Ministry of Agriculture to implement the programme. It noted that in modern agricultural farming veterinary drugs are commonly used in animals as therapeutic agents to increase feed efficiency, prevent outbreak of diseases, support food security and enhance competitiveness. However, in food producing animals, if these drugs are not properly monitored they could result in the presence of residues in foods such as meat, milk and eggs derived from these animals. Therefore, after careful consideration of the impact of the misuse or abuse of veterinary drugs, the ministries collaborated on a system of control.
Importers are reminded that they must be registered and apply for a marketing authorization for each dosage form of veterinary drug. To meet the requirements for registration, they must complete the prescribed application form and pay the $5000 application fee; the business of a veterinary drug importer should also be under the direct control of a veterinarian and necessary contracts must be submitted; the importer must also have registered premises with suitable conditions for holding and storing the drugs.
A batch certificate of analysis must accompany each consignment, the veterinary drug must be registered with the Department; the importer must also maintain records of receipt and issue including batch numbers and expiry dates. Labels must comply with Food and Drug Regulations 1977 which includes the name of the drug, name and address of the manufacture, batch number, expiry date, and directions for use, quantitative list of ingredients, cautionary statement and storage requirements.
