Improving the availability of safe and effective veterinary medicines for Australia's seafood industry

Globally, disease is the major limiting factor restricting growth in aquaculture (Stentiford et al 2012; Jennings et al 2016), with impact of aquatic diseases exceeding $6 billion per annum. Aquaculture is the fastest growing livestock industry in Australia and is expected to double in value to $2 billion by 2027. The limited availability of registered veterinary medicines is an ongoing and complex problem for the Australian aquaculture sector. This project aims to: 1. document a safe and effective process for the off-label use of veterinary medicines aimed at supporting fish health, welfare and production while managing environmental risks and enabling data generation. 2. coordinate a national effort to facilitate the progress of priority aquatic veterinary medicines in the seafood industry through to permitting or registration with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) 3. provide options for a system, framework and / or business case to effectively coordinate national data generation and applications to the APVMA into the future, and maintain current permits and registrations in the seafood industry 4. develop and implement a communication and awareness strategy for industry on safe and effective veterinary medicine use.