The Minister of Municipalities and Agriculture has issued a new decree regulating the importation, distribution and use of veterinary pharmaceutical products in the poultry and food animal sectors.

The executive order prohibits the importation, distribution, and use of certain veterinary pharmaceutical products by entities involved in the poultry and food animal industries. This ban specifically concerns antibiotics and growth-promoting antibacterial agents.

The use and distribution of specified veterinary pharmaceutical products will be subject to several restrictions and controls. Basically, the decree states that the dispensation of veterinary pharmaceuticals can only take place upon prescription issued by a veterinarian licensed in Bahrain.

This register must include the name of the prescribing veterinarian and the date of issue. Prescriptions must be kept by the pharmacy for one year from the date of filling, with the approval of the pharmacist.

The fifth article of the decree specifies that violations of its provisions will be subject to the sanctions provided for by Law No. (19) of 2014 concerning veterinary pharmaceutical products in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The new regulations aim to improve food safety and animal health in Bahrain.