Circular No. 17/2014/TT-BNNPTNT on disease prevention and control for farmed aquatic animals.

CIRCULAR

Rules for preventing and controlling animal diseases in aquaculturei

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Pursuant to the Fisheries Law 2003;

Pursuant to the Veterinary Law dated April 29, 2004;

Pursuant to Decree No. 33/2005/NĐ-CP dated March 15, 2005 of the Government detailing the implementation of certain provisions of the Animal Health Ordinance; Decree No. 119/2008/NĐ-CP dated November 28, 2008 of the Government supplementing some articles of Decree No. 33/2005/NĐ-CP;

BASED ON THE DECREE NO. 199/2013/NĐ-CP OF NOVEMBER 26, 2013 OF THE GOVERNMENT PROVIDING FOR THE FUNCTIONS, TASKS, POWERS, AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT;

At the proposal of the Director of the Animal Health Department,

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development issues this Circular on rules for preventing and controlling animal diseases in aquaculture.

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation and Applicability

1. This Circular regulates the prevention and control of animal diseases in aquaculture (hereinafter referred to as aquaculture).

2. This Circular applies to organizations and individuals, both domestic and foreign, involved in production, trading, transportation, processing, and preliminary processing of aquaculture products within the territory of Vietnam.

Article 2. Interpretation of Terms

In this Circular, the following terms are understood as follows:

1. Aquaculture facility is a place where aquaculture animals are raised and kept, including one or more ponds, lakes, cages, rafts, and other types of aquaculture facilities of organizations or individuals.

2. Disease outbreak site is an aquaculture facility that currently has aquaculture animals suffering from diseases listed in the Catalogue of Aquatic Diseases Required to be Notified.

3. Affected area is an area with multiple disease outbreak sites confirmed by authorized veterinary aquatic health agencies.

4. New disease is an aquatic disease newly appearing in Vietnam, not included in the Catalogue of Aquatic Diseases Required to be Notified, capable of spreading rapidly over a wide range, causing significant mortality among aquaculture animals.

5. Diseased aquaculture animal is an aquaculture animal infected with pathogens and showing typical symptoms and lesions of the disease.

6. Suspected diseased aquaculture animal is an aquaculture animal displaying symptoms and lesions of the disease within a disease outbreak site but without identification of the pathogen, or at another aquaculture facility located within an affected area without visible signs of the disease.

7. Infected aquaculture animal is an aquaculture animal exhibiting unusual signs but without typical symptoms of the disease.

8. Suspected infected aquaculture animal is an easily infected aquaculture animal living in the same water body as diseased or suspected diseased aquaculture animals.

Article 3. Principles of Prevention, Control, and Reporting of Aquatic Diseases

1. Prevention is prioritized based on environmental monitoring, disease surveillance combined with information dissemination and education on disease prevention and control.

2. Activities for preventing and controlling diseases must ensure proactivity, positivity, timeliness, and effectiveness.

3. Collection, storage, reporting of disease information and aquaculture area data must be conducted promptly, accurately, and comprehensively according to guidelines issued by the Veterinary Service Agency.

Article 4. Disease Reporting System

1. Immediate reporting of disease outbreaks:

a) The owner of the aquaculture facility, or the person discovering diseased or suspected diseased aquaculture animals listed in the Catalogue of Aquatic Diseases Required to be Notified or new diseases, must report to the person responsible for veterinary work at the commune, ward, town (hereinafter collectively referred to as the person responsible for veterinary work at the commune level) and the People's Committee of the commune or the nearest specialized aquatic veterinary agency;

b) The person responsible for veterinary work at the commune level shall have the responsibility to visit the location of diseased or suspected diseased aquaculture animals to verify the information and report to the District Veterinary Station or the specialized aquatic veterinary agency at the district, city under provincial jurisdiction (hereinafter referred to as the District Veterinary Station) and the People's Committee of the commune;

c) The District Veterinary Station shall report to the Provincial Veterinary Service Office or the specialized aquatic veterinary agency at the provincial level, centrally administered city (hereinafter referred to as the Provincial Veterinary Service Office) and the People's Committee of the district;

d) The Provincial Veterinary Service Office shall report to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Regional Veterinary Office, and the Veterinary Service Agency;

đ) The Regional Veterinary Office shall report to the Veterinary Service Agency;

e) The Veterinary Service Agency shall report to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development about the development of the disease outbreak;

g) Reports on disease outbreaks or new diseases by organizations and individuals as stipulated in points a, b, c, d, đ, and e of this clause must be completed within 48 hours for communes in plains areas or 72 hours for remote communes, when the disease occurs over a wide area, starting from the time of discovery or receipt of information about diseased or suspected diseased aquaculture animals.

2. Updated reports on disease situation:

a) Updated reports on disease situations apply to disease outbreaks confirmed by the Provincial Veterinary Service Office;

b) Reports must be submitted before 16:00 each day until the end of the disease outbreak period, including holidays and weekends;

c) The District Veterinary Station shall report to the Provincial Veterinary Service Office and the People's Committee of the district;

d) The Provincial Veterinary Service Office shall report to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Regional Veterinary Office, and the Veterinary Service Agency.

3. Investigation reports on disease outbreaks:

a) Investigation reports on disease outbreaks apply in cases where the disease outbreak is determined by authorized specialized aquatic veterinary agencies to be a disease listed in the Catalogue of Aquatic Diseases Required to be Notified or a new disease;

b) The content of investigation reports and information collection shall be carried out according to a form;

c) The Provincial Veterinary Service Office shall be responsible for reporting the results of the disease outbreak investigation to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Regional Veterinary Office, and the Veterinary Service Agency within seven days from the end of the disease outbreak investigation.

4. Final reports on disease outbreaks: within seven days from the end of the disease outbreak as prescribed by law, the Provincial Veterinary Service Office shall be responsible for submitting a summary report on the disease outbreak, evaluating the results of disease prevention and control.

5. Reports on new diseases:

a) The Provincial Veterinary Service Office shall report to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Regional Veterinary Office, and the Veterinary Service Agency on the spread of the disease;

b) The Veterinary Service Agency shall report to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on the situation of the disease.

6. Periodic reports:

a) Monthly report: the data compiled for reporting is calculated from the first day to the last day of the month. Reports must be submitted in written form and electronic files, specifically as follows: The District Veterinary Station shall report to the Provincial Veterinary Service Office before the 10th day of the following month; The Provincial Veterinary Service Office shall report to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Regional Veterinary Office, and the Veterinary Service Agency before the 15th day of the following month;

b) Quarterly reports are conducted in the first week of the next quarter;

c) Mid-year reports are submitted before July 15;

d) Annual reports are submitted before January 15 of the following year.

d) The periodic report content shall be carried out according to the form issued by the Animal Health Department, including: diseases (must be analyzed spatially, temporally, and by affected subjects: detailed for each disease and specific rearing subjects), assessment of the disease situation, preventive measures implemented, existing difficulties, proposed solutions, recommendations, and suggestions.

7. Report on disease surveillance results:

a) The Animal Health Sub-department reports to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Regional Animal Health Office, and the Animal Health Department on the surveillance results, disease forecasts, and local disease prevention measures;

b) The Animal Health Department reports to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on the surveillance results, disease forecasts, and nationwide disease prevention measures;

c) The reporting of disease surveillance results must be completed within ten (10) days from the end of the surveillance program.

Chapter II

DISEASE PREVENTION

Article 5. Development and Implementation of the Aquatic Disease Prevention and Control Plan

Annually, the Animal Health Sub-department leads and collaborates with relevant units to develop and implement the Aquatic Disease Prevention and Control Plan through the following steps:

1. Assess the current status of aquaculture in the locality for the year.

2. Analyze the previous year's aquatic disease surveillance results and conduct supplementary investigations at aquatic seed production facilities and aquaculture sites (if necessary) to serve the planning for the next year.

3. Analyze and evaluate the results of environmental monitoring and warnings; main water sources supplying the farming area, times when diseases typically occur annually to determine sampling locations and times for water quality, water chemistry, and microbial samples, intermediate hosts; risk factors related to the emergence and spread of aquatic diseases locally; epidemiological indicators and related testing criteria to assess the risk level, predict the likelihood of disease emergence and spread in the locality.

4. Determine necessary resources, including: human resources, materials, financial resources to implement preventive, control, and support measures for farm owners to monitor the environment and diseases, both during disease outbreaks that have not yet met the conditions for declaring a disease outbreak and after a disease outbreak has been declared.

5. Based on technical standards and Vietnamese standards for disease surveillance, investigation, hygiene conditions for aquaculture, seed production, and trading facilities, propose testing criteria, frequency, sampling locations, and number of aquatic samples and environmental samples.

6. Develop the Aquatic Disease Prevention and Control Plan with contents as stipulated in Article 6 of this Circular.

7. Report to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for submission to the provincial People's Committee for approval of the Aquatic Disease Prevention and Control Plan.

8. Organize the implementation of the approved Aquatic Disease Prevention and Control Plan.

9. Send the approved Aquatic Disease Prevention and Control Plan to the Regional Animal Health Office and the Animal Health Department for coordination and supervision of its implementation.

10. In case of plan adjustments, the Animal Health Sub-department sends the adjusted Aquatic Disease Prevention and Control Plan to the Regional Animal Health Office and the Animal Health Department.

Article 6. Contents of the Aquatic Disease Prevention and Control Plan

1. Environmental monitoring: water quality parameters, frequency, number of samples, and sampling locations for analysis.

2. Disease surveillance includes the following contents: species under surveillance, location, time, sampling frequency, types of aquatic samples, environmental samples, number of samples, related information, and pathogens to be identified; when a disease outbreak occurs or when there is unusual environmental change, it is necessary to collect diseased sample and environmental samples for testing to detect pathogens.

3. Investigation of disease outbreaks and measures to control diseases.

4. Forecasting on materials, chemicals, funds, and human resources to implement preventive and control measures, including support for aquaculture facility owners when a disease is announced and even when a disease occurs but does not meet the conditions for announcing a disease at the local level.

5. Forecasting on equipment needed to be invested in, supplemented, and calibrated to serve diagnostic testing, surveillance, investigation of disease outbreaks, epidemiological map construction, and data analysis.

6. Providing information, propaganda, and training for aquaculture farmers and veterinary officers at commune level about policies, state regulations, guidance documents from specialized veterinary agencies, and aquaculture management.

7. Assigning responsibilities to relevant agencies and units to implement the Aquatic Disease Prevention and Control Plan.

Article 7. Surveillance of Aquatic Diseases

1. The Animal Health Department takes the lead, coordinating with related units to develop, submit to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for approval and implementation of the National Aquatic Disease Surveillance Program.

2. The Provincial Animal Health Service leads, coordinating with related units to develop and report to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for submission to the People's Committee of the province for approval; implementing the Aquatic Disease Surveillance Programs at the local level as follows:

a) Directing the Animal Health Station and commune-level veterinary officers to coordinate with related units to develop, promulgate, and implement the surveillance program, including regular aquatic sample testing and environmental index checks;

b) For environmental indices checked at aquaculture facilities, veterinary staff record and store results, reporting them to the Animal Health Station;

c) For undetermined environmental indices and diseases, the Animal Health Station collects, preserves, and sends samples to the Provincial Animal Health Service laboratory;

d) For indices that lack testing capacity, the Provincial Animal Health Service sends samples to the laboratory under the Animal Health Department or laboratories designated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (hereinafter referred to as designated laboratories);

e) Upon receiving analytical and testing results, the Provincial Animal Health Service informs the results along with specific disease prevention measures for aquaculture facility owners to implement;

f) Reporting surveillance results to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Regional Veterinary Office, and Animal Health Department for analysis and direction in aquatic disease prevention work as stipulated in Clause 7, Article 4 of this Circular.

Article 8. Information, propaganda, and training on aquatic disease prevention

Information, propaganda, and training on aquatic disease prevention must ensure the following contents:

1. Target: organizations and individuals involved in environmental monitoring, production, trading, transportation, preliminary processing, processing, and prevention and control of aquatic diseases.

2. Content: policies, legal regulations, and guidance documents issued by specialized veterinary agencies for aquatic products.

3. Form: through one or more different forms but must ensure regularity, speed, and effectiveness.

4. Time: propaganda activities must be carried out before the breeding season and when there is an outbreak of disease.

5. Responsibilities:

a) The Animal Health Department shall take the lead and coordinate with the Fisheries General Department to develop and guide the implementation of programs and plans on information, propaganda, and training on aquatic disease prevention nationwide;

b) The Animal Health Sub-department shall develop and implement programs and plans on information, propaganda, and training on aquatic disease prevention at the local level.

Article 9. Responsibilities of facility owners

1. Aquatic seed production facility owners have the responsibility to:

a) Adhere to local aquaculture planning, technical standards, and legal regulations on aquatic seed production;

b) Water sources must be treated to eliminate contaminants and pathogens before being used for production;

c) The breeding system must ensure easy sanitation, disinfection, and effective disease control; it must have separate water supply and drainage systems; wastewater and waste must be treated to meet requirements before discharge;

d) Use parent aquatic seeds with clear origins and certificates of quarantine issued by authorized agencies. When signs of abnormality or suspected infection are detected, parent aquatic seeds must be isolated, closely monitored, and not allowed to reproduce;

đ) Use feed, biological preparations, drugs, and chemicals listed in the permitted usage or circulation list in Vietnam. For self-prepared feed and fresh live feed, hygiene, disease safety, and environmental protection must be ensured;

e) Manage the environment and apply preventive measures according to the guidance of specialized aquatic veterinary and aquaculture agencies during the production process;

g) Have a biosecurity control procedure to ensure disease-free seeds;

h) Record the seed production process in accordance with Circular No. 26/2013/TT-BNNPTNT dated May 22, 2013, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on seed management.

2. Aquaculture facility owners have the responsibility to:

a) Adhere to local aquaculture planning and follow the stocking schedule as guided by local specialized aquaculture agencies;

b) Follow the technical procedures for preparing the breeding facilities, managing water quality, and caring for aquatic health;

c) Use feed, biological preparations, drugs, and chemicals listed in the permitted circulation list in Vietnam. For self-prepared feed and fresh live feed, hygiene, disease safety, and environmental protection must be ensured;

d) Design the aquaculture system to ensure hygiene, easy disinfection, and effective disease control;

đ) Manage the environment and apply preventive measures according to the guidance of specialized aquatic veterinary and aquaculture agencies during the breeding process;

e) Fully record the care and breeding process according to the guidance of specialized aquaculture agencies;

g) Must have a waste treatment area. When farmed aquatic animals become diseased, the breeding facility's water and waste must be treated to completely eliminate pathogens before discharge into the environment.

3. For cage, raft, hanging rack, and tidal flat breeding facilities, facility owners must comply with clauses b, c, d, đ, and e of paragraph 2 of this Article and the following provisions:

a) Arrange cages, rafts, hanging racks, and tidal flats in areas that are planned or approved by authorized agencies;

b) Cage, raft, and hanging rack density must follow the guidance of authorized specialized aquatic veterinary and aquaculture agencies;

c) Regularly check farmed aquatic animals for color, attached organisms, pathological signs, and abnormalities. When disease is detected or suspected, isolation, treatment, and notification to surrounding breeders and village animal health officers must be conducted promptly for timely harvesting if necessary, as stipulated in Article 16 of this Circular;

d) Periodically inspect, clean, and disinfect breeding equipment;

đ) Ensure appropriate stocking density according to the guidance of specialized aquaculture agencies.

4. Owners of facilities engaged in trading and transporting aquatic products have the responsibility to:

a) Use suitable means of transport, containers, storage methods, and transportation techniques;

b) Transporting aquatic seeds must have a certificate of quarantine issued by authorized specialized aquatic veterinary agencies;

c) The storage system and transportation means for aquatic products must ensure hygiene, disinfection before and after use; wastewater and waste must be treated to meet requirements before discharge.

Chapter III

DISEASE CONTROL

Article 10. Reporting of Aquatic Animal Diseases

1. The owner of the aquatic animal breeding facility, the person who discovers aquatic animals suffering from disease, dying due to disease, or suspected of being infected with diseases listed in the Catalogue of Aquatic Animal Diseases that must be declared or new diseases shall have the responsibility to report to the competent authority as prescribed in point a, Clause 1, Article 4 of this Circular.

2. In cases where the disease spreads rapidly over a wide area causing many aquatic animals to die, the owner of the aquatic animal breeding facility, the person who discovers aquatic animals suffering from disease, the person responsible for veterinary work at the commune level, and the Veterinary Station may report directly to the authorities and District Veterinary Stations, the General Department of Livestock Production to promptly organize disease control measures.

Article 11. Investigation of Disease Outbreaks

1. Principles of investigating disease outbreaks:

a) Disease outbreak investigation must be conducted within three (3) days from the time of discovery or receipt of information about aquatic animals suffering from disease or suspected of being infected, in order to identify the causative agent of the disease and factors contributing to its spread;

b) Information about the disease outbreak must be collected in detail, comprehensively, accurately, and timely;

c) Prior to conducting the investigation, all necessary information about the breeding environment, disease conditions; raw materials, tools, equipment, chemicals required for the investigation of the disease outbreak; sampling tools, sample preservation, transportation; current regulations on disease prevention and control; necessary human resources, material resources, financial resources, and protective equipment; forms and tools for collecting information must be gathered.

2. Contents of disease outbreak investigation:

a) Collect initial information on environmental monitoring indicators before and during the occurrence of the disease outbreak; characteristics of the disease outbreak, basic epidemiological features, and the existence of the disease outbreak; trace the origin of the disease outbreak;

b) Review and complete information about the disease outbreak at the facility where aquatic animals are suffering from disease, including: checking and comparing with previously reported information; environmental indicators and changes (if any); clinical examination, quantity, species, age, date of discovery of diseased aquatic animals; affected area, stocking area; drugs and chemicals used; breeding methods, observation of developments at the site of the aquatic animal disease outbreak;

c) Describe the development of the disease outbreak over time, location, diseased and suspected diseased aquatic animals, and conduct an initial assessment of the cause of the disease outbreak;

d) Propose conducting research on risk factors;

đ) Summarize, analyze, evaluate, and make a definitive diagnosis of the outbreak, identify the disease, mode of transmission;

e) Report the results of the outbreak investigation, assess and forecast the disease situation in the subsequent period, propose preventive and control measures.

3. Responsibilities for investigating disease outbreaks:

a) The person responsible for veterinary work at the commune level has the responsibility to visit the breeding facility where aquatic animals are suffering from disease or suspected of being infected to determine information and report according to the form; simultaneously reporting the disease situation as prescribed in Articles 3 and 4 of this Circular;

b) The Veterinary Station dispatches staff to the breeding facility where aquatic animals are suffering from disease or suspected of being infected to guide the handling of the disease outbreak, take samples for testing, verify the source of the disease, and report the disease situation as prescribed in Articles 3 and 4 of this Circular;

c) The District Veterinary Station conducts investigations according to the principles and contents stipulated in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article; test samples as prescribed in Article 12 and report the disease situation as prescribed in Articles 3 and 4 of this Circular;

d) The Regional Animal Health Authority guides and supports the District Veterinary Station in conducting disease outbreak investigations;

đ) The General Department of Livestock Production directs, monitors, and supervises the investigation of disease outbreaks by the District Veterinary Station. In cases where the District Veterinary Station provides unclear information or implements investigation steps that do not meet requirements, or if the disease outbreak shows complex developments, the General Department of Livestock Production will conduct the disease outbreak investigation.

Article 12. Sampling, Diagnosis, Testing to Identify Pathogens

1. The agency responsible for investigating the disease outbreak shall directly take samples for testing to identify pathogens. Sample specimens must be sent to the laboratory designated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development within one (1) day from the end of the sampling process.

2. Within seven (7) days from receiving the samples, the designated laboratory is responsible for diagnosing, testing, and reporting the results to the agency that submitted the samples. In cases where the pathogen cannot be identified, it is necessary to notify the submitting agency.

3. In cases where the pathogen cannot be diagnosed, the designated laboratory is responsible for coordinating with other laboratories to conduct further tests or report to the Animal Health Department for guidance on identifying the pathogen.

4. If the sample specimens do not meet the requirements regarding quantity and quality, the designated laboratory shall either directly request the sampling agency to retake or supplement samples for diagnosis and testing.

5. In the same commune and during the same period of an epidemic, once test results are available for the initial outbreaks, there is no necessity to take samples for testing at subsequent outbreaks. Conclusions about subsequent outbreaks will be based on clinical signs of diseased aquatic animals and the rearing environment.

Article 13. Conditions and Authority to Declare Epidemics

1. The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee shall declare an epidemic when the following conditions are met:

a) There is an outbreak listed in the Catalogue of Diseases Required to Be Declared occurring and rapidly spreading over a wide area.

b) There is a written report from the Chairman of the District People's Committee on the development of the epidemic situation;

c) There is a conclusive diagnosis confirming the disease listed in the Catalogue of Aquatic Animal Diseases Required to Be Declared, along with a written request for declaration of the epidemic from the Animal Health Sub-department or the Animal Health Department.

2. The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee shall decide to declare an outbreak in the following cases:

a) When the epidemic occurs simultaneously in two or more districts;

b) In the case of an epidemic occurring in one district, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee may declare the epidemic or delegate authority to the Chairman of the District People's Committee where the epidemic is occurring to declare the epidemic.

3. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development shall decide to declare an outbreak upon the request of the Animal Health Department accompanied by confirmatory test results indicating the epidemic falls under the Catalogue of Aquatic Animal Diseases Required to Be Declared, has the potential to spread widely, and occurs across two or more provinces.

4. Upon declaring an epidemic, the authorized person shall simultaneously declare the threatened zone and buffer zone; if the epidemic area is located at the border between provinces or districts, the authorized person as stipulated in Clause 1 and Clause 2 of this Article must inform the relevant Provincial People's Committee to declare the threatened zone and buffer zone.

Article 14. Organizing Disease Control

1. Measures for disease control and handling of outbreaks:

a) Limiting non-essential personnel from entering and exiting areas with outbreaks; those assigned to handle the outbreak must undergo hygiene, disinfection, and sterilization before leaving the outbreak area;

b) Determining the outbreak area, sanitizing and disinfecting the outbreak area, tools, equipment used in aquaculture, wastewater, waste, contaminated environments, and applying necessary veterinary hygiene measures in the affected area according to guidelines from the Animal Health Sub-department and provincial aquaculture authorities.

2. Upon declaring an outbreak, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee shall be responsible for:

a) Establishing the Provincial Disease Control Steering Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Steering Committee). Members include the Provincial People's Committee leadership as Chair, the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development leadership as Deputy Chair, and leaders of related departments and sectors as members;

b) Directing the agriculture and rural development sector to coordinate with other sectors, levels, organizations, and individuals related to the local area to mobilize human and material resources as prescribed by law to implement disease control measures;

c) Proactively allocate funds from the local reserve fund or request the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to support chemicals from the national reserve for local disease control.

3. The Chairman of the District People's Committee shall be responsible for:

a) Implementing disease prevention and control measures as directed by the Provincial Steering Committee, including establishing the District Disease Control Steering Committee;

b) Organizing publicity and dissemination of disease control measures in the locality;

c) Implementing policies to support disease control, mitigate consequences caused by the epidemic, and restore aquaculture in the locality;

d) Submitting requests to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for financial, material, and resource support when the local capacity is exceeded;

đ) Reporting to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee on the results of disease control and implementation of support policies for disease prevention and control.

4. The Chairman of the Commune People's Committee shall be responsible for:

a) Implementing disease prevention and control measures as directed by higher-level steering committees;

b) Organizing and supervising the handling of diseased aquatic animals in accordance with Clause 2 of Article 16 of this Circular;

c) Organizing publicity and dissemination of disease prevention and control measures in the locality;

d) Implementing policies to support disease control, mitigate consequences caused by the epidemic, and restore aquaculture in the locality;

đ) Reporting to the higher-level Chairman of the People's Committee and the higher-level specialized animal health department on the results of disease prevention and control and implementation of support policies for disease prevention and control.

5. The Animal Health Department:

a) Guide the Animal Health Sub-departments on disease control measures; participate in supporting localities in disease control or directly direct disease control when deemed necessary;

b) Propose to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to request the Prime Minister's support for chemicals for local epidemic suppression from the National Reserve Fund; in cases of emergency and widespread risk of epidemic outbreak as stipulated in the Law on Reserves, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development decides to import or export national reserve goods equivalent in value to the budget expenditure authority of the Minister of Finance as stipulated in the State Budget Law.

c) Guide the Animal Health Sub-Department to investigate and assess the disease outbreak; contact domestic and foreign experts and laboratories to identify the causative agent for new cases or diseases with undetermined causes.

6. The Animal Health Sub-Department shall be responsible for advising, guiding, and participating in implementing disease control measures, determining losses caused by the disease, monitoring, compiling, and evaluating the effectiveness of disease prevention and control measures, and implementing statistical reporting systems regarding the area of aquaculture, the area affected by aquatic diseases, the results of disease prevention and control, and the implementation of support policies for disease prevention and control.

7. Veterinary staff at the commune level shall guide the owners of aquaculture facilities on handling diseased aquatic animals according to Clause 2, Article 16 of this Circular; compile statistics on the area of aquaculture and the area affected by diseased aquatic animals; participate in disinfection and sterilization; cooperate with specialized veterinary agencies to collect disease samples.

8. Owners of aquaculture facilities, organizations, and individuals related to areas affected by the disease must strictly comply with disease prevention and control measures as required by competent authorities.

9. In cases where the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development announces a disease outbreak, relevant organizations and individuals shall organize disease control activities according to Clauses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of this Article.

Article 15. Control of Aquatic Product Transportation in Affected Areas

1. The Animal Health Sub-Department shall strengthen the control of aquatic product transportation immediately upon the effective announcement of a disease outbreak.

2. Aquatic products may only be transported out of the affected area after being processed in accordance with guidelines and obtaining a health certificate from the Animal Health Sub-Department.

3. Limit the transportation of aquatic species sensitive to the announced disease through the affected area. If transportation through the affected area is necessary, it must be reported and carried out according to the guidance of the Animal Health Sub-Department.

Article 16. Handling Disease Outbreaks and Diseased Aquatic Animals

1. The owner of the facility shall be responsible for handling the disease outbreak as follows:

a) Report according to Article 4 of this Circular; simultaneously inform neighboring facilities to apply preventive measures.

b) Do not discharge untreated wastewater or waste into the environment; handle diseased aquatic animals according to Clause 2 of this Article.

c) Do not discard diseased, dead, or suspected diseased aquatic animals into the environment.

d) Treat, harvest, or dispose of diseased, dead, or suspected diseased aquatic animals according to Clause 2 of this Article; implement other measures to prevent the spread of the disease as guided by specialized veterinary agencies.

2. The owner of the aquaculture facility shall handle diseased aquatic animals using one of the following methods:

a) Harvest diseased aquatic animals: carry out according to Article 17 of this Circular for aquatic animals that have reached market size and can be used for food, animal feed, or other purposes (except for breeding stock or live feed for other aquatic animals).

b) Treat diseased aquatic animals: carry out according to Article 18 of this Circular for diseased aquatic animals determined by specialized aquatic veterinary agencies to be treatable and for which the aquaculture facility owner has a need to treat diseased aquatic animals.

c) Destroy diseased aquatic animals: carry out according to Article 19 of this Circular for diseased aquatic animals not covered under points a and b of Clause 2 of this Article.

Article 17. Harvesting Aquatic Products in Disease Outbreak Areas

1. The owner of the aquatic farming facility must comply with the following requirements when harvesting aquatic products in disease outbreak areas:

a) Notify the Animal Health Station about the purpose of use, quantity, handling measures, implementation plan, and monitoring measures for the use of diseased aquatic products;

b) Not use diseased aquatic products as breeding stock or live feed for other aquatic products;

c) Only transport aquatic products to purchasing, selling, processing, and manufacturing facilities (hereinafter referred to collectively as receiving facilities).

2. Receiving facilities must ensure and be responsible for disease safety during processing and manufacturing.

3. In cases where aquatic products are used as feed for terrestrial animals or for other purposes, the Animal Health Station shall report to the District Animal Health Service which shall be responsible for:

a) Directing the Animal Health Station or assigning staff to guide and supervise the harvesting, storage, and transportation activities of the farming facility with diseased aquatic products;

b) Informing the provincial quality management agency for agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products of the name and address of the receiving facility to monitor at the receiving facility;

c) Reporting to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Animal Health Service on the results of implementation.

Article 18. Treatment of Diseased Aquatic Products

1. Responsibilities of the owner of the aquatic farming facility:

a) Proactively treat diseased aquatic products according to the guidance of the District Animal Health Service;

b) Only use types of drugs, chemicals, and biological preparations listed in the Catalogue of Permitted Veterinary Drugs, Biological Preparations, Microorganisms, and Chemicals for Aquatic Animal Health in Vietnam.

2. Responsibilities of the person in charge of animal health work at the commune level and private veterinarians:

a) Provide guidance and disseminate treatment protocols for diseased aquatic products to the facility owners;

b) Actively treat according to the guidance of the animal health authority;

c) Only use types of drugs, chemicals, and biological preparations listed in the Catalogue of Permitted Veterinary Drugs, Biological Preparations, Microorganisms, and Chemicals for Aquatic Animal Health in Vietnam.

3. Responsibilities of the District Animal Health Service:

a) Provide guidance and disseminate treatment protocols for diseased aquatic products to the person in charge of animal health work at the commune level and private veterinarians;

b) Coordinate with the District, farming facilities, organizations, and individuals to test treatment protocols;

c) Report to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Animal Health Service on the effectiveness of applying treatment protocols; propose testing and issuing new more effective treatment protocols.

4. Responsibilities of the National Animal Health Service:

a) Issue treatment protocols;

b) Organize inspections and evaluations of treatment protocols; the use of drugs, chemicals, and biological preparations for treating diseases.

Article 19. Destruction of Diseased Aquatic Products

1. Implementation procedures for destruction:

a) The District Animal Health Service reports to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development requesting a decision from the Chairman of the People's Committee of the district to issue a decision on destruction and establish a destruction team;

b) The destruction team includes representatives from the District Animal Health Service, the provincial specialized agency for aquaculture, the People's Committee of the commune, and the owner of the farming facility or the production and trading facility;

c) Within 24 hours from the issuance of the Decision to Establish the Team, the destruction team is responsible for implementing: delineating the disease outbreak area specified in the destruction decision; proposing and using chemicals to destroy the disease outbreak; preparing minutes, with confirmation from the owner of the farming facility or the production and trading facility.

2. Chemicals used for destruction and disinfection can be sourced from the National Reserve Fund, the Local Reserve Fund, or equivalent chemicals listed in the Catalogue of Permitted Veterinary Drugs, Biological Preparations, Microorganisms, and Chemicals for Aquatic Animal Health in Vietnam.

3. Costs for destroying diseased aquatic products are covered by the local government budget.

Article 20. Post-harvest disinfection and destruction for disease outbreaks

1. The owner of the facility shall disinfect water in tanks, ponds, and lakes; disinfect tools, equipment, breeding cages, and nets; treat the bottom surface, eliminate crustaceans and intermediate hosts that transmit diseases using permitted chemicals after harvesting or destroying aquatic products, ensuring no pathogens remain, no chemical residues, and maintaining environmental hygiene.

2. Persons involved in the processing and destruction of aquatic products must implement personal hygiene measures to eliminate pathogens, preventing their spread to the environment and other breeding facilities.

Article 21. Measures for breeding facilities without disease in epidemic areas during the announcement of disease outbreaks

The owner of the breeding facility must apply the following measures:

1. Implement biological safety measures and regularly sanitize and decontaminate the breeding and aquaculture areas.

2. Enhance care and boost the resistance of farmed aquatic products.

3. Do not release new or supplementary aquatic products during the announced epidemic period.

4. For pond and lake breeding facilities: do not change water during the announced epidemic period.

5. Strengthen proactive monitoring to detect diseased aquatic products early and promptly apply preventive measures.

Article 22. Announcement of the end of the epidemic

1. Announce the end of the epidemic when the following conditions are met:

a) At least 15 (fifteen) days have passed since the completion of the final outbreak treatment according to Articles 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 of this Circular, with no new outbreaks occurring;

b) Completion of comprehensive sanitation, decontamination, and disinfection in the affected area.

2. Authority to announce the end of the epidemic:

a) The Chairman of the People's Committee at the district level decides to announce the end of the epidemic within the district upon the proposal of the Animal Health Station after receiving the agreement document from the Animal Health Sub-department;

b) The Chairman of the People's Committee at the provincial level decides to announce the end of the epidemic within the province upon the proposal of the Animal Health Sub-department after receiving the agreement document from the Animal Health Department;

c) The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development announces the end of the epidemic in areas covering two or more provinces after receiving a report confirming the conditions for announcing the end of the epidemic from the Director of the Animal Health Department.

3. Based on the actual situation, local specialized agencies in aquaculture guide facilities to continue breeding or temporarily suspend breeding.

4. For facilities where aquatic products were destroyed or harvested due to disease: if they are still in the main breeding season, the local specialized agency in aquaculture at the district level will guide the household to release new seedlings after the announcement of the end of the epidemic.

Chapter IV

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 23. Responsibilities of the Animal Health Department

1. Develop and submit to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for approval the National Program on Prevention and Control of Aquatic Disease; provide guidance and organize implementation after approval.

2. Develop and submit to the competent authority for approval, provide guidance, and organize implementation of surveillance programs, epidemiological research, outbreak investigations, and the creation of aquatic disease maps.

3. Provide guidance, inspect, and supervise the implementation of prevention and control of aquatic diseases.

4. Inspect and guide the use of chemicals from the National Reserve Fund for prevention and control of aquatic diseases.

5. Issue and guide the use of disease reporting forms for aquatic products.

6. Organize training on prevention and control measures for aquatic diseases for Animal Health Stations, Animal Health Sub-departments, and units under the Animal Health Department.

7. Coordinate with relevant organizations and individuals both domestically and internationally to study and apply prevention and control measures for aquatic diseases; disseminate information about prevention and control of aquatic diseases.

Article 24. Responsibilities of the Fisheries General Department

1. Direct and guide localities in planning concentrated aquaculture.

2. Develop, submit to competent authorities for approval, and organize the implementation of regulations, standards, technical specifications on seed production and aquaculture that meet disease safety requirements.

3. Issue and guide the use of record forms in aquaculture activities.

4. Direct, inspect, and issue guidance to local specialized agencies in aquaculture, and farmers to conduct environmental monitoring, seed production, and aquaculture to meet disease prevention and control requirements.

5. Guide, inspect, and supervise the use of seeds, feed, chemicals, drugs, biological products, and environmental treatment products; manage the environment.

6. Direct, inspect, and supervise the implementation of crop seasons and the application of techniques in seed production and commercial aquatic product production.

7. Coordinate with the Animal Health Service in preventing and controlling aquatic animal diseases.

Article 25. Responsibilities of People's Committees at all levels

1. Direct, inspect, and supervise related departments and agencies in localities to develop and implement plans for preventing and controlling aquatic animal diseases.

2. Allocate funds for disease prevention and control activities, support facilities where aquatic animals are affected by disease, both during outbreaks that have not yet met the conditions for declaring a disease outbreak and when a disease is declared.

Article 26. Responsibilities of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

1. Advise and submit to the Provincial People's Committee for approval:

a) Approval of the Plan for Developing Aquaculture and the Plan for Preventing and Controlling Aquatic Animal Diseases;

b) Establishment of a local reserve fund for materials, chemicals, and funds to implement preventive and control measures, including support for farmers who must destroy diseased aquatic animals, both during outbreaks that have not yet met the conditions for declaring a disease outbreak and when a disease is declared;

c) Assign responsibilities to relevant units to develop and implement the Plan for Preventing and Controlling Aquatic Animal Diseases; organize disease surveillance in local aquaculture;

d) Direct local related units to coordinate with the Animal Health Service in organizing disease prevention, control, surveillance, and investigation in the locality;

e) Direct and supervise the disposal and destruction of diseased and suspected diseased aquatic animals, mobilize forces to participate in disease control in the locality according to the proposal of the veterinary authority. Inspect and guide the use of chemicals from the National Reserve Fund and the local reserve fund in accordance with regulations.

2. Direct specialized agencies to implement disease prevention and control activities in accordance with this Circular.

3. Manage safe disease breeding and aquaculture facilities in the locality.

Article 27. Responsibilities of the Animal Health Sub-Department

1. Conduct field investigations, surveys, and develop plans for preventing and controlling diseases, including surveillance and information dissemination about aquatic animal diseases annually in the locality; organize the implementation of the plan after approval.

2. Guide, inspect, and supervise the implementation of disease prevention measures, treatment, and disease control at breeding, trading, storage, and transportation facilities.

3. Direct and guide veterinary stations, village-level veterinary work supervisors, and breeding facility owners to report aquatic animal diseases according to the form; be responsible for issuing and guiding veterinary stations and village-level veterinary work supervisors in using reporting forms.

4. Organize training on disease prevention and control for veterinary staff and breeding facilities under management.

5. Coordinate with related agencies to implement enhanced quarantine and transportation control measures.

6. Guide and inspect the transportation of aquatic animals harvested from disease sources to processing and processing facilities.

7. Coordinate with provincial aquaculture-related agencies and use environmental monitoring data in developing and implementing the Plan for Preventing and Controlling Aquatic Animal Diseases.

Article 28. Responsibilities of the provincial specialized agency for aquaculture

1. Guide individuals and centralized breeding facilities according to local planning.

2. Guide, inspect, and supervise the application of regulations, technical standards, standards, procedures, record-keeping forms regarding the production of aquatic seedlings and aquaculture to meet disease safety requirements.

3. Carry out environmental monitoring tasks to meet disease prevention and control requirements.

4. Guide, inspect, and supervise the use of feed, chemicals, drugs, biological preparations in aquaculture, environmental improvement; implement cultivation seasons, apply techniques in aquatic seedling production, commercial aquatic products.

5. Coordinate with the Animal Health Service, Regional Animal Health Office, General Department of Animal Health in disease prevention, control, and surveillance activities.

Article 29. Responsibilities of the provincial specialized agency for quality of agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products

1. Coordinate with the Service to monitor the harvesting and transportation of diseased aquatic products for food processing when requested.

2. Supervise the reception of diseased aquatic products at preliminary processing and food processing facilities upon notification from the Animal Health Service and guide these facilities on disease safety requirements.

Article 30. Responsibilities and benefits of the owner of aquaculture facilities

1. Apply disease prevention and control measures; comply with quarantine regulations, environmental monitoring, disease reporting, storage of relevant records related to facility operations such as seedlings; pond and lake improvement; care and management of aquatic products; handling disease outbreaks, waste, and wastewater according to the guidance of the Service and specialized agencies for aquaculture.

2. Only use seedlings certified by authorized agencies.

3. Cooperate with the Animal Health Service and specialized agencies for aquaculture in sampling for monitoring and testing environmental indicators, diseases, collecting information to identify risk factors related to aquatic diseases.

4. Attend training courses on disease prevention and control, aquaculture techniques organized by the Animal Health Service, specialized agencies for aquaculture, and agricultural extension services.

5. Enjoy state support for disease prevention and control according to current regulations.

Chapter V

IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS

Article 31. Effective Date

1. This Circular takes effect from August 4, 2014.

2. This Circular replaces the following documents:

a) Circular No. 36/2009/TT-BNNPTNT dated June 17, 2009 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on disease prevention and control for aquatic animals;

b) Circular No. 52/2011/TT-BNNPTNT dated July 28, 2011 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on disease prevention and control measures for farmed shrimp.

3. During implementation, if there are difficulties, agencies, organizations, and individuals should promptly report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for consideration and resolution./.