Can fish egg disinfectants still be used in an increasingly regulated industry? For many years, the fish production industry has used fish egg disinfectants at the hatchery stage. The objective is to improve hatchability and profitability by destroying diseasecausing microorganisms on the egg’s outer coating without damaging the egg itself. Many disinfectants are designed to kill extremely tough and resistant bacteria and viruses and are not environmentally safe. Therefore, the selection of the correct disinfectant active material and formulation of products for use on fish eggs in aquaculture is of great importance. The incorrect choice can lead to high mortality and environmental damage. Buffodine - a buffered iodine disinfectant - was developed and patented by UK manufacturer Evans Vanodine in the 1970s - the first disinfectant of its type. It was designed to kill viruses such as IPN and VPS on the outer membrane of salmonid eggs without penetrating or damaging them. Since then, Buffodine has been used for egg disinfection by salmonid and other marine species producers worldwide. The product displays effectiveness on a wide range of marine species and can prevent infection. 40
However, the use of these disinfectants has generally not been controlled by regulation, even though they provide good hatchability and low levels of mortality in broodstock fish. The use of such disinfectants is generally not controlled by regulation. However, this has now changed. In Europe, the use of all disinfectants is controlled by the European Union Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR) (EU 528/2012). This regulation applies to all EU member states and countries that have adopted it, such as Norway, to evaluate the disinfectants and authorise them for specific uses. If authorisation is given, manufacturers must then apply for Mutual Recognition of the authorisation in member states they wish to sell the product. It is a long, complicated, and expensive process to standardise the use and effectiveness of disinfectants in Europe, making them safe to use and preventing hazardous or environmentally unsafe
compounds from being used. Iodine was the first active ingredient relevant for aquaculture to be authorised by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). As a result, member states are now approving disinfectant formulations based on this compound. The high cost and technical demands of submitting product dossiers to the EU in support of a specialist egg disinfection product have caused most, if not all, other manufacturers to
withdraw their products from the market. Currently, it appears that Evans Vanodine’s Buffodine is the only authorised fish egg disinfectant in Europe (authorised biocide: UK2019-1172). Buffodine has a European multi-language label confirming that it is regulated for use in Ireland as a proven, authorised, aquaculture disinfectant. For all enquiries, please contact export@evansvanodine.co.uk
Aquaculture & Seafood Ireland
