Preliminary results of the activities of VGNKI for 2024

Subordinate to the Rosselkhoznadzor, the Russian State Center for Animal Feed and Drug Standardization and Quality (hereinafter referred to as VGNKI, the Center, Institution) is a scientific organization of the 1st category. The Center conducts monitoring, quality and safety control of medicinal products for veterinary use, food products, feed and feed additives for animals, develops and certifies research methods. VGNKI deposits and maintains national collection of microbial strains, which are used to prepare and control medicinal products for veterinary use as well as to supply these strains to manufacturing enterprises and research institutions.
In 2024, VGNKI carried out the completion of 21 R&D projects, 18 of which were state assignments of Rosselkhoznadzor and 3 R&Ds on 3 grants.
108 researchers participated to complete aforementioned R&D projects, including 2 academicians of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 15 Doctors of Science and 74 Candidates of Science.
The research activities of the Institution under the state assignment were devoted to the development of methods for monitoring hazardous contaminants in food products and feed additives in the territory of the Russian Federation and for the purposes of export of products of agro industrial complex, monitoring antibiotic resistance, as well as determining biologically active substances in feed additives and feed.
As a result of the activity, the Institution received 10 patents, as well as it submitted 9 applications for certificates of various developments.
From January 1st to December 23rd of 2024, the Testing Center of VGNKI conducted 46 086 studies of food products, feed and feed additives, veterinary medicinal products and biomaterials obtained from animals in order to fulfill the state assignment.
33 009 tests were run on products subjected to state and veterinary supervision, out of which 4 120 were carried out within the framework of export of products of agro industrial complex, 689 (2.1%) were identified as positive; out of 1 405 tests run on veterinary medicinal products, 59 (4.2%) were positive.
In terms of providing paid services, the Testing Center conducted 13 077 tests, of which 1 395 (10.7%) were found positive.
The most frequent findings in food products were non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics, sorbic and benzoic acids, sterols, inconsistencies in fatty acid composition, as well as adulteration with beef fat. Genetically modified organisms and inconsistencies in the declared raw material composition were detected in feed for productive and non-productive animals.
The expansion of the accreditation scope of VGNKI in 2024 includes 88 methods, including 14 GOSTs, and currently amounts to 2 562 methods. Also, the Testing Center of the Institution has successfully passed 10 rounds of interlaboratory comparison tests.
The following research methods have been introduced into the activities of the Biotechnology Department: identification of pathogens of animal diseases in biological material (West Nile virus, equine arteritis virus, Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, etc.); determination of GM lines of corn, potatoes and rapeseed in food products and feed; quality control of medicinal products for veterinary use, including PCR methods for detecting contamination of vaccines with foreign viruses and mycoplasmas.
In addition, in 2024, the research work "Development of methods for monitoring fish products using the PCR method" was completed, as a result of which 3 new methods will be introduced into the practice of the Institution in 2025.
In order to ensure the safety and quality control of products, 31 regulatory documents developed by VGNKI are used in the laboratory activities of institutions subordinate to Rosselkhoznadzor. Among these documents are 17 GOSTs and 14 methodological guidelines. All these documents are aimed at determining the residual amounts of harmful and prohibited substances in food products and feed and are the main tools for achieving high safety standards.
A total of 47 institutions, subordinate to Rosselkhoznadzor, are actively using GOSTs for laboratory research, which indicates a high level of trust in these standards. In addition, 29 of them use methodological guidelines, all of which confirms the importance of unified approaches to the analysis of food products and feed.
Thus, the regulatory and methodological documents developed by VGNKI are an integral part of the system of control and ensuring safety in the market, contributing to strengthening public health and protecting the interests of consumers.
In 2024, VGNKI conducted 311 examinations of materials of registration dossiers for veterinary pharmacological products. Based on the results of the examinations, 130 domestically produced and 16 foreign-made medicinal products were recommended for state registration.
In terms of fulfilling the state assignment to introduce amendments to registration dossiers for previously registered veterinary pharmacological products, an examination of materials for 144 domestic and 20 foreign-made medicinal products for veterinary use was carried out.
There were no refusals to amend registration dossiers for previously registered domestic and foreign veterinary products in 2024.
In accordance with the procedure of introducing medicinal products for veterinary use into civil circulation, the Institution conducted studies of 810 samples, including 560 pharmacological and 250 immunobiological veterinary medicinal products of domestic and foreign production.
As part of selective sampling for quality control this year, 713 samples of pharmacological medicinal products were tested for compliance with established quality requirements using destructive test methods.
The largest number of samples for research were antibacterial agents and coccidiostatics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for livestock and poultry. A smaller number were antibacterial drugs, antiparasitic agents for external use for small domestic animals, as well as medicinal products for bees.
In order to expand the range of reference standard of the approved type (RS), the Institution completed work on developing new RSs for the composition of trimethoprim and fenbendazole. RSs were approved by Rosstandart and information about them was entered into the Federal Information Fund for Ensuring the Uniformity of Measurements.
In 2024, 217 dossiers were received by VGNKI as part of the registration procedure for feed additives. As a result, 169 feed additives were registered, and for 30 cases the state registration was denied.
Specialists of the Veterinary Center of VGNKI conducted 26 585 studies of biological material from 23 437 animals from January 1st to December 23rd of 2024. Of the total number of studies, 20 494 studies were performed to determine the titer of antibodies to rabies virus.
In addition, the Veterinary Center issued 5 958 veterinary accompanying documents for departure of animals abroad. The most popular destinations for traveling with pets in 2024 were Israel, Turkey and the EU countries.
In 2024, a surgery department, an ICU and intensive therapy department were organized on the basis of the Veterinary Center, the range of services provided was expanded in the areas of ultrasound diagnostics, X-rays and dentistry. A pet store and a veterinary pharmacy began to operate.
As part of the international activities of VGNKI, receptions were organized for foreign delegations from Cuba, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Azerbaijan.
In 2024, specialists of the Center took part in the 90th meeting of the World Trade Organization Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures in Switzerland, the 25th meeting of the Intergovernmental Russia-India Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation in New Delhi, the Global Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Veterinary Innovations, Reference Centers and Vaccines in Italy and other international events.
In addition, the Institution has been corresponding with the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), as well as the UN FAO in the context of obtaining the status of Reference Center for quality control of drugs and vaccines.
In 2024, specialists of VGNKI conducted 40 inspections of foreign manufacturers of veterinary medicines for compliance with the requirements of good manufacturing practice (GMP). Inspections were carried out in relation to production sites located in France, Germany, India, Argentina, China, Hungary, Slovenia, Spain, Brazil, Belgium, Austria, Croatia, the USA, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Bulgaria, Italy and South Korea.
Based on the results of the inspections, 12 sites were found to be non-compliant with the rules of good manufacturing practice.
In relation to domestic manufacturers of veterinary drugs, the Institution's employees took part in 33 inspections as experts, conducted jointly with specialists from the Rosselkhoznadzor.
The Certification Body of VGNKI issued 35 certificates in 2024: for compliance with organic production standards; for veterinary drugs; for feed additives. In addition, work was carried out to draw up draft declarations of conformity for feed, feed additives and diagnostic drugs included in the Unified List of Products Subject to Declaration of Conformity, as well as to prepare and coordinate draft regulatory documentation (GOST, TR CU).
In addition, an inspection control was carried out on 11 previously issued certificates of conformity for products and 24 certificates of conformity for organic production.
This year, the accreditation procedure was completed by the Product Certification Body, its competence was confirmed and the scope of accreditation was expanded in terms of certification of organic production.
A wide range of 190 educational programs offered in VGNKI included the main areas of activity and the scope of responsibility of the Institution in the structure of the Rosselkhoznadzor.
More than 1 500 specialists of the agro-industrial complex, of which 479 are employees of institutions subordinate to the Rosselkhoznadzor, successfully completed training at VGNKI.
In addition to citizens of the Russian Federation, specialists from the Customs Union member states, including Kyrgyzstan Belarus, Kazakhstan, were able to improve their qualifications at VGNKI.
This year, the Center's specialists also took an active part in such significant events as the International Exhibition and Forum "Russia", the 26th Russian Agro-Industrial Exhibition "Golden Autumn - 2024", the International Scientific and Practical Conference of VGNKI "Creation of Means for the Prevention of Socially Significant Infections of Productive Animals Based on Modern Nutrigenomics Methods". The Institution's experts were included in the organization of these events and presented a report during round tables and conferences, which were held on-site.