India Amends Export Rules for Fish, Prohibiting Specific Antimicrobials

Ministry of Commerce and Industry has issued an order dated May 1, 2025, amending the existing regulations for the export of fresh, frozen, and processed fish and fishery products. Exercising powers under the Export (Quality Control and Inspection) Act, 1963, and after consulting the Export Inspection Council, the Central Government has introduced new prohibitions. The amendment explicitly bans the use of any antimicrobial medicinal product for the purpose of promoting growth or increasing yield in fish and fishery products intended for export. Furthermore, the order prohibits the use of a detailed list of specific antibiotics, antivirals, and antiprotozoals. These prohibited substances cannot be used in the culture, hatcheries producing juveniles or larvae, units manufacturing feed, or in the pre-processing or processing units for shrimps, prawns, or any other variety of fish and fishery products meant for export. The changes aim to enhance the quality and safety standards of Indian fishery exports.

MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
(Department of Commerce)
ORDER
New Delhi, the 1st May, 2025

S.O. 1981(E).— In exercise of the powers conferred by section 6 of the Export (Quality Control and Inspection) Act, 1963 (22 of 1963), the Central Government, after consulting the Export Inspection Council, hereby makes the following amendments further to amend the Order of the Government of India in the erstwhile Ministry of Commerce, vide number S. O. 729 (E), dated the 21^st August, 1995, namely: –

In the said Order, in Schedule I, after clause (i), the following clauses shall be inserted namely:

“(j) use of any antimicrobial medicinal product for the purpose of promoting growth or to increase yield shall be prohibited;

(k) the use of any of the following antimicrobials or group of antimicrobials and antimicrobial medicinal product shall be prohibited in the culture of, or in any hatchery for producing the juveniles or larvae or nauplii of, or in any unit manufacturing feed for, or in any unit preprocessing or processing shrimps, prawns or any other variety of fish and fishery products: –

(1) Antibiotics:-

a. Carboxypenicillins

b. Ureidopenicillins

c. Ceftobiprole

d. Ceftaroline

e. Combinations of cephalosporins with beta-lactamase inhibitors

f. Siderophore cephalosporins

g. Carbapenems

h. Penems

i. Monobactams

j. Phosphonic acid derivates

k. Glycopeptides

l. Lipopeptides

m. Oxazolidinones

n. Fidaxomicin

o. Plazomicin

p. Glycylcyclines

q. Eravacycline

r. Omadacycline

(2) Antivirals:-

a. Amantadine

b. Baloxavir marboxil

c. Celgosivir

d. Favipiravir

e. Galidesivir

f. Lactimidomycin

g. Laninamivir

h. Methisazone / metisazone

i. Molnupiravir

j. Nitazoxanide

k. Oseltamivir

l. Peramivir

m. Ribavirin

n. Rimantadine

o. Tizoxanide

p. Triazavirin

q. Umifenovir

r. Zanamivir

(3) Antiprotozoals:-

(a) Nitazoxanide”

[F. No. K-16012/2/2024 – Export Inspection]
SIDDHARTH MAHAJAN, Jt.Secy.

Note:-The principal order was published in the Gazette of India, Part-II,Section 3, Sub-section (ii), vide number S.O. 729(E), dated 21^st August, 1995 and subsequently amended vide number S.O. 792 (E), dated 17^th August, 2001, S.O. 722 (E), dated 10^th July, 2002, S.O. 464 (E), dated 24^th April, 2003, S.O. 1227 (E), dated 23^rd October, 2003 and S.O. 1227 (E), dated 31^st July, 2006.