Circular No. 17/2014/TT-BNNPTTN Issuing the List of High-Yield Livestock Breeds

CIRCULAR

Regulations on Prevention and Control of Diseases for Cultured Aquatic Animals

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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 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 promulgates this Circular on prevention and control of diseases for cultured aquatic animals.

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation and Applicability

1. This Circular stipulates the prevention and control of diseases for cultured aquatic animals (hereinafter referred to as aquatic animals).

2. This Circular applies to organizations and individuals, both domestic and foreign, involved in production, trade, transportation, preliminary processing, and processing of aquatic animals 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 aquatic 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 has aquatic animals suffering from diseases listed in the Catalogue of Aquatic Animal Diseases Required to be Notified.

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

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

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

6. Suspected diseased aquatic animal is an aquatic animal displaying symptoms and lesions of the disease in a disease outbreak site but without confirmed pathogens, or in another aquaculture facility within an affected area without apparent symptoms.

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

8. Suspected infected aquatic animal is an aquatic animal susceptible to infection living in the same water body as diseased aquatic animals or suspected diseased aquatic animals.

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

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

2. Activities related to prevention and control of diseases must ensure proactivity, positivity, timeliness, and effectiveness.

3. Collection, storage, reporting of disease information and aquaculture area must be carried out promptly, accurately, and comprehensively according to the guidelines of the Veterinary Department.

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 aquatic animals listed in the Catalogue of Aquatic Animal Diseases Required to be Notified or a new disease, shall 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 veterinary aquatic animal health 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 aquatic animals to verify the information and report to the District Veterinary Station or the specialized veterinary aquatic animal health agency at the district, city under provincial administration (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 Office or the specialized veterinary aquatic animal health agency at the provincial level, centrally administered city (hereinafter referred to as the Provincial Veterinary Office) and the People's Committee of the district;

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

đ) The Regional Veterinary Office shall report to the Veterinary Department;

e) The Veterinary Department 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 specified in points a, b, c, d, đ, and e of this clause must be completed within 48 hours for communes in the plains 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 aquatic animals.

2. Updated reports on disease situation:

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

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

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

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

3. Investigation reports on disease outbreaks:

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

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

c) The Provincial Veterinary Office shall report the results of the investigation of the disease outbreak to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Regional Veterinary Office, and the Veterinary Department within seven days from the end of the investigation of the disease outbreak.

4. Final reports on disease outbreaks: within seven days from the end of the disease outbreak as prescribed by law, the Provincial Veterinary Office shall report the summary of the disease outbreak and evaluate the results of disease prevention and control.

5. Reports on new diseases:

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

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

6. Periodic reports:

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

d) Annual reports are submitted before January 15th 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 preventive measures implemented at the local level;

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

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 aquatic farming in the locality for the year.

2. Analyze the results of aquatic disease surveillance from the previous year and conduct supplementary investigations at aquatic seed production facilities and aquaculture farms (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 breeding 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, environmental hygiene conditions for aquatic farming, 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 in directing and supervising 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 Plan for Prevention and Control of Aquatic Animal Diseases

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 animal 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, funding, and human resources required to implement preventive and control measures, including support for aquaculture facility owners upon declaration of a disease outbreak and during a disease outbreak that has not yet met the conditions for declaring a disease at the local level.

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

6. Information dissemination, propaganda, and training for aquaculture farmers and veterinary officers at commune level regarding policies, state regulations, and guidance documents from specialized aquatic animal health agencies and aquaculture agencies.

7. Allocation of responsibilities among relevant agencies and units to implement the Plan for Prevention and Control of Aquatic Animal Diseases.

Article 7. Surveillance of Aquatic Animal Diseases

1. The Veterinary Department shall take the lead and coordinate with relevant units to develop, submit to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for approval, and organize the implementation of the National Program for Surveillance of Aquatic Animal Diseases.

2. The Provincial Veterinary Service shall take the lead and coordinate with relevant 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; organizing the implementation of the Program for Surveillance of Aquatic Animal Diseases within the local area as follows:

a) Directing the Veterinary Station and commune-level veterinary officers to cooperate with relevant units to develop, promulgate, and implement the Surveillance Program, including regular testing of aquatic animals and checking environmental indicators;

b) For environmental indicators checked at aquaculture facilities, veterinary staff shall record and store results and report them to the Veterinary Station;

c) For environmental indicators and undetermined diseases, the Veterinary Station shall collect, preserve, and send samples to the testing laboratory of the Provincial Veterinary Service;

d) For indicators that lack testing capacity, the Provincial Veterinary Service shall send samples to the testing laboratory of the Veterinary Department or a laboratory designated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (hereinafter referred to as the designated laboratory);

đ) Upon receiving the analytical and testing results, the Provincial Veterinary Service shall notify the results along with specific guidance on preventive measures for aquaculture facility owners to implement;

e) Reporting surveillance results to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Regional Veterinary Office, and the Veterinary Department for analysis and direction in aquatic animal 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 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 Veterinary 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 Veterinary 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:

a) To comply with 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) To use parent aquatic seeds with clear origins and certificates of health inspection 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 breed;

đ) To use feed, biological preparations, drugs, and chemicals listed in the permitted usage or circulation list in Vietnam. For self-prepared feed and live feed, they must ensure veterinary hygiene, disease safety, and environmental protection;

e) To manage the environment and apply technical measures for disease prevention according to the guidance of specialized veterinary and aquaculture agencies during the production process;

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

h) To 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:

a) To comply with local aquaculture planning and follow the stocking schedule as directed by local specialized aquaculture agencies;

b) To strictly adhere to technical procedures for preparing aquaculture facilities, managing water quality, and caring for aquatic animal health;

c) To use feed, biological preparations, drugs, and chemicals listed in the permitted circulation list in Vietnam. For self-prepared feed and live feed, they must ensure veterinary hygiene, disease safety, and environmental protection;

d) To design aquaculture systems that ensure hygiene, easy disinfection, and effective disease control;

đ) To manage the environment and apply technical measures for disease prevention according to the guidance of specialized veterinary and aquaculture agencies during the farming process;

e) To fully record the care and farming process according to the guidance of specialized aquaculture agencies;

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

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

a) To arrange cages, rafts, hanging racks, and tidal flats in areas designated in planning or approved by authorized agencies;

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

c) To regularly check farmed aquatic animals for color, attached organisms, pathological signs, and abnormalities. When diseased or suspected diseased aquatic animals are found, they must be isolated, treated, and reported to surrounding farmers and village-level veterinary officers for timely handling and harvesting if necessary, as stipulated in Article 16 of this Circular;

d) To periodically inspect, clean, and disinfect farming equipment;

đ) To 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:

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

b) Transporting aquatic seeds must be accompanied by a health inspection certificate issued by authorized specialized veterinary agencies;

c) Storage systems and transportation means for aquatic products must ensure veterinary 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 diseased, which are 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, Provincial Veterinary Stations to promptly organize disease control measures.

Article 11. Investigation of Disease Outbreaks

1. Principles of investigating disease outbreaks:

a) Disease outbreak investigation must be carried out within three (3) days from the date of discovery or receipt of information about aquatic animals suffering from disease or suspected of being diseased, with the aim of identifying the causative agent of the disease and factors contributing to its spread;

b) Information on 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 tools; 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) Collecting 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; tracing the origin of the disease outbreak;

b) Verifying and completing information on 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, observing the progression of the disease outbreak;

c) Describing the progression of the disease outbreak according to time, location, diseased and suspected diseased aquatic animals, and making a preliminary 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 diseased 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 diseased 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; tests samples as prescribed in Article 12 and reports the disease situation as prescribed in Articles 3 and 4 of this Circular;

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

đ) The National Veterinary Station 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 National Veterinary Station will conduct the disease outbreak investigation.

Article 12. Sampling, Diagnosis, and 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 completion of sampling.

2. Within seven (7) days from receiving the sample, the designated laboratory is responsible for diagnosing, testing, and reporting the results to the agency that submitted the sample. 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 resampling or supplementary sampling from the agency that took the 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 water environment.

Article 13. Conditions and Authority to Declare an Epidemic

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 that the disease belongs to 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 the 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 that the disease belongs to 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. Organization of Disease Control

1. Measures for disease control and handling of outbreaks:

a) Limiting non-essential personnel from entering and exiting areas with outbreaks; individuals tasked with handling the outbreak must undergo hygiene, disinfection, and sterilization before leaving the outbreak area;

b) Determining the outbreak, 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 the guidelines of 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 at the local level 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 national chemical reserves 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 authority on the results of disease prevention and control and implementation of support policies for disease prevention and control.

5. The Animal Health Department:

a) Guiding the Animal Health Sub-departments on disease control measures; participating in supporting localities in disease control or directly directing disease control when deemed necessary;

b) Proposing to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development;

c) Guiding the Animal Health Sub-departments in investigating and evaluating outbreaks; contacting experts and laboratories both domestically and internationally to determine the causative agent in new or undetermined diseases.

6. The Animal Health Sub-department is responsible for advising, guiding, and participating in implementing disease control measures, assessing losses caused by the epidemic, monitoring, compiling, and evaluating the effectiveness of disease prevention and control, and implementing statistical and reporting systems on the area of stocking, the area of diseased aquatic animals, the results of disease prevention and control, and the implementation of support policies for disease prevention and control.

7. The veterinary staff at the commune level shall guide the owners of aquatic farms to handle diseased aquatic products in accordance with Clause 2 of Article 16 of this Circular; compile the area of farming and the area affected by disease; participate in disinfection; cooperate with specialized veterinary agencies to take samples.

8. The owner of the farm, organization, or individual involved in the epidemic area must strictly implement preventive and control measures according to the requirements of the competent authority.

9. In cases where the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development announces an epidemic, relevant organizations and individuals must organize epidemic control in accordance with Clauses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of this Article.

Article 15. Control of Aquatic Product Transportation in Epidemic Areas

1. The Veterinary Sub-Department shall strengthen the inspection and control of aquatic product transportation immediately upon the effective announcement of an epidemic focus.

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

3. Limit the transportation of aquatic species that are sensitive to the announced disease through epidemic areas. If transportation through an epidemic area is necessary, it must be reported and carried out in accordance with the guidance of the Veterinary Sub-Department.

Article 16. Handling of Disease Foci and Diseased Aquatic Products

1. The owner of the facility has the responsibility to handle the disease focus as follows:

a) Report in accordance with Article 4 of this Circular; simultaneously inform nearby facilities about applying preventive measures;

b) Do not discharge untreated wastewater or waste into the environment; handle diseased aquatic products in accordance with Clause 2 of this Article;

c) Do not discard diseased, dead, or suspected diseased aquatic products into the environment;

d) Treat, harvest, or handle diseased, dead, or suspected diseased aquatic products in accordance with Clause 2 of this Article; apply other measures to prevent the spread of the disease as directed by specialized veterinary agencies.

2. The owner of the aquatic farm must handle diseased aquatic products using one of the following methods:

a) Harvest diseased aquatic products: carry out in accordance with Article 17 of this Circular for marketable-sized aquatic products that can be used for food, animal feed, or other purposes (excluding breeding stock or live feed for other aquatic animals);

b) Treat diseased aquatic products: carry out in accordance with Article 18 of this Circular for diseased aquatic animals determined by specialized aquatic veterinary agencies to be treatable and for which the farm owner requests treatment;

c) Destroy diseased aquatic products: carry out in accordance with Article 19 of this Circular for diseased aquatic products not covered under points a and b of Clause 2 of this Article.

Article 17. Harvesting Aquatic Products in Disease Foci

1. The owner of the aquatic farm harvesting aquatic products in a disease focus must comply with the following requirements:

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

b) Do not use diseased aquatic products as breeding stock or live feed for other aquatic animals;

c) Only transport aquatic products to purchasing, selling, processing, or 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 Veterinary Station shall report to the Veterinary Sub-Department, which shall be responsible for:

a) Directing the Veterinary Station or assigning personnel to guide and supervise the harvesting, storage, and transportation activities of the farm with diseased aquatic products;

b) Notifying the name and address of the receiving facility to the provincial agency managing the quality of agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products for supervision at the receiving facility;

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

Article 18. Treatment of aquatic animals suffering from disease

1. Responsibilities of the owner of the breeding facility:

a) Actively treat aquatic animals suffering from disease according to the guidance of the Animal Health Sub-Department;

b) Only use types of drugs, chemicals, and biological products listed in the Catalogue of veterinary drugs, biological products, microorganisms, and chemicals for aquatic animal health allowed to circulate in Vietnam.

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

a) Guide and disseminate treatment protocols for aquatic animals suffering from disease to the owner of the breeding facility;

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

c) Only use types of drugs, chemicals, and biological products listed in the Catalogue of veterinary drugs, biological products, microorganisms, and chemicals for aquatic animal health allowed to circulate in Vietnam.

3. Responsibilities of the Animal Health Sub-Department:

a) Guide and disseminate treatment protocols for aquatic animals suffering from disease to the person in charge of animal health work at the commune level and private veterinarians;

b) Coordinate with the Sub-Department, breeding facilities, organizations, and individuals to test treatment protocols;

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

4. Responsibilities of the General Bureau of Animal Health:

a) Issue treatment protocols;

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

Article 19. Destruction of Aquatic Animals Suffering from Disease

1. Procedure for Implementation of Destruction:

a) The Animal Health Sub-Department reports to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to issue a document requesting 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 Sub-Department, specialized agencies for aquaculture at the provincial level, the People's Committee of the commune, and the owner of the breeding facility or the owner of the production and trading facility for aquatic animals;

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

2. Chemicals used for destruction and disinfection are sourced from the National Reserve Fund, the Local Reserve Fund, or other types of chemicals with equivalent efficacy listed in the Catalogue of veterinary drugs, biological products, microorganisms, and chemicals for aquatic animal health allowed to circulate in Vietnam.

3. Costs for destroying aquatic animals suffering from disease are covered by the local budget.

Article 20. Disinfection After Harvesting and Destruction of Epidemic Areas

1. The owner of the facility must disinfect water in tanks, ponds, and lakes; disinfect tools, equipment, cages, and nets; treat the bottom surface, eliminate crustaceans and intermediate hosts of disease transmission using chemicals permitted for use after harvesting or destruction of aquatic animals, ensuring no pathogens remain, no chemical residues, and maintaining environmental hygiene.

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

Article 21. Measures for Facilities Without Disease in Affected Areas During the Announcement of an Epidemic Area

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

1. Implement biosecurity measures and regularly sanitize the environment and aquaculture areas.

2. Enhance care and improve the resistance of farmed aquatic animals.

3. Do not release new or supplementary aquatic animals during the announcement of the epidemic.

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

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

Article 22. Announcement of the End of an Epidemic

1. The epidemic shall be announced ended when all of the following conditions are met:

a) At least 15 (fifteen) days have passed since the last outbreak was handled according to Articles 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 of this Circular, and no new outbreaks have occurred;

b) The comprehensive cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization of the affected areas have been completed.

2. Authority to Announce the End of an 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 in writing 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 in writing from the Animal Health Department;

c) The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development announces the end of the epidemic in the area 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, the local aquatic animal breeding authority guides the facility to continue breeding or temporarily suspend breeding.

4. For facilities where aquatic animals were destroyed or harvested due to disease: if they are still in the main breeding season, the local aquatic animal breeding authority at the district level guides the household to release new stock 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 Animal Diseases; guide and organize its implementation after approval.

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

3. Guide, inspect, and supervise the implementation of prevention and control measures for aquatic animal diseases.

4. Inspect and guide the use of chemicals from the national reserve for the prevention and control of aquatic animal diseases.

5. Issue and guide the use of reporting forms for aquatic animal diseases.

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

7. Coordinate with domestic and international organizations and individuals to study and apply preventive and control measures for aquatic animal diseases; disseminate information about the prevention and control of aquatic animal diseases.

Article 24. Responsibilities of the Fisheries General Administration

1. Direct and guide localities in planning concentrated aquaculture.

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

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

4. Direct, inspect, and issue guidelines for local aquatic animal breeding authorities and breeders to conduct environmental monitoring, seed production, and aquaculture to meet the requirements for preventing and controlling aquatic animal diseases.

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

6. Direct, inspect, and supervise the implementation of seasons and the application of techniques in seed production for aquatic animals and marketable aquatic animals.

7. Coordinate with the Animal Health Department in the prevention and control of aquatic animal diseases.

Article 25. People's Committees at all levels

1. Direct, inspect, and supervise relevant departments and agencies of the locality to build and implement plans for preventing and controlling aquatic animal diseases.

2. Allocate funds for activities to prevent and control aquatic animal diseases, support facilities where aquatic animals are affected by disease, including when a disease occurs but does not yet meet the conditions for declaring an epidemic, and when an epidemic 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) The Master Plan on Aquaculture Development and the Prevention and Control Plan for Aquatic Animal Diseases;

b) Establish a local reserve fund for materials, chemicals, and funds to implement preventive and control measures, including support for aquaculturists whose diseased aquatic animals must be destroyed, whether during an outbreak that has not yet met the conditions for declaring an epidemic or when an epidemic is declared;

c) Assign responsibilities to related units to develop and implement the Prevention and Control Plan for Aquatic Animal Diseases; organize surveillance of aquatic animal diseases in the locality;

d) Direct related units in the locality to cooperate with the Animal Health Service Bureau in organizing prevention, control, surveillance, and investigation of aquatic animal diseases in the locality;

e) Direct and supervise the handling and destruction of diseased or suspected diseased aquatic animals, mobilize forces to participate in combating the epidemic in the locality upon request from the veterinary authority. Inspect and guide the use of chemicals from the National Reserve Fund and the local reserve fund according to regulations.

2. Direct specialized agencies to carry out prevention and control of aquatic animal diseases as stipulated in this Circular.

3. Manage disease-safe aquaculture production facilities in the locality.

Article 27. Responsibilities of the Animal Health Service Office

1. Investigate, survey, and build plans for prevention and control of diseases, including surveillance and information dissemination about aquatic animal diseases annually in the locality; organize implementation of the plan after approval.

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

3. Direct and guide animal health stations, village-level animal health officers, and aquaculture facility owners to report aquatic animal diseases according to forms; responsible for distributing and guiding animal health stations and village-level animal health officers in using reporting forms.

4. Organize training on disease prevention and control for animal health staff and aquaculture facilities under management.

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

6. Guide and inspect the transportation of aquatic animals harvested from infected areas to processing and manufacturing facilities.

7. Coordinate with provincial aquaculture technical agencies and utilize environmental monitoring data in developing and implementing the Prevention and Control Plan for Aquatic Animal Diseases.

Article 28. Responsibilities of Provincial Aquaculture Technical Agencies

1. Guide individuals and aquaculture facilities to concentrate according to the locality's master plan.

2. Guide, inspect, and supervise the application of regulations, technical standards, standards, procedures, and record-keeping forms for producing aquatic animal breeding stock and aquaculture to meet disease safety requirements.

3. Carry out environmental monitoring tasks to meet the requirements for preventing and controlling aquatic animal diseases.

4. Guide, inspect, and supervise the use of feed, chemicals, drugs, biological products in aquaculture, environmental improvement; implement farming seasons, apply techniques in breeding stock and commercial aquatic animal production.

5. Coordinate with the Animal Health Service Office, Regional Animal Health Office, and the Animal Health Service Bureau in disease prevention, control, and surveillance work.

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

1. Coordinate with the Aquatic Product Inspection Agency to monitor the harvesting and transportation of diseased aquatic products intended for food processing upon request.

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

Article 30. Responsibilities and benefits of aquaculture facility owners

1. Implement preventive and control measures against diseases; comply with quarantine regulations, environmental monitoring, disease reporting, and recordkeeping related to the operation of the facility such as seedlings; pond renovation; fish care and management; disease outbreak handling, waste and wastewater treatment according to the guidance of the Animal Health Agency and specialized agencies for aquaculture.

2. Only use seedlings that have been issued a Disease Control Certificate by the competent authority.

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

4. Attend training courses on disease prevention and control, aquaculture techniques organized by the Animal Health Agency, 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 preventive and control measures for shrimp farming diseases.

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