EU sees improved compliance for veterinary drug residues in food

European data has revealed a decrease in non-compliant residues of veterinary medicines in animals and animal products.

A review looked at the presence of authorized and unauthorized substances and residues of veterinary medicinal products in live animals and animal products in EU member states, Iceland, and Norway. It was published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

In 2023, the rate of non-compliant samples was 0.11 percent, which equates to 602 of 548,194 samples. The majority of samples were reported under national risk‐based control plans or other programs. Some were collected as part of national random surveillance plans or risk‐based import checks. Almost 8,800 suspect samples were reported in 2023 as follow‐up of non‐compliances with 100 non-conforming results.

The percentage of non‐compliant samples in 2022 was 0.18 percent, which was comparable to the previous 13 years of 0.17 to 0.37 percent.

Risk-based control results
In 2023, the risk-based control plan for production in member states revealed 432 non-compliant samples. Forty samples were non-compliant under the randomized surveillance plan and 12 as part of risk-based controls on imports.

EU legislation prohibits the use of hormones and beta-agonists in food producing animals with certain exceptions.

During national control plans, steroids was the substance subgroup with the most non-compliances with 127. Nandrolone had the highest proportion of non-compliances found in milk, bovines, poultry, and rabbits.

A total of 11 non-compliant results were reported for chloramphenicol in bovines, milk, pigs, poultry, and sheep/goats. Findings of semicarbazide and metronidazole were also recorded. Chloramphenicol is an example of a substance that is not allowed to be given to food-producing animals.

Other non-compliant results were in aquaculture for sum of brilliant green and leucobrilliant green and sum of malachite green and leucomalachite green. Two non-compliant results were found in ibuprofen, two in oxyphenbutazone anhydrate, and three in phenylbutazone.

By product group
Of the 13,555 milk samples analyzed in this category, 22 were non-compliant. These samples were reported by 10 countries. Of the 7,899 egg samples tested, eight were non-compliant. Samples were reported by France, Spain, Malta, and Poland.

Of the 3,422 honey samples analyzed, 14 were non-compliant leading to 22 problematic results. Samples were reported by Poland, Greece, Romania, France, and Latvia. The Latvian finding was for glyphosate.

Fipronil was detected in three bovines in Italy. Two oxyphenbutazone anhydrate and two phenylbutazone (bute) findings were in horses from Ireland. The other phenylbutazone result was in pigs from Germany.

The percentage of non-compliant samples from the total number of samples was 0.09 percent for unauthorized substances while 0.14 percent of non-compliant samples were found for substances permitted in food-producing animals.

As part of the random control plan, 19 milk, three egg, and three honey samples were non-compliant.

Risk-based controls on imports revealed violations in aquaculture from Vietnam and Bangladesh, as well as eggs from India, Ukraine, and the UK, and honey from China.

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Source: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2025/02/eu-sees-improved-compliance-for-veterinary-drug-residues-in-food/