Residues
in food of drugs
which are toxic or have side effects in humans are unacceptable.
Using
these drugs in farm animals is
prohibited under Council Regulation 2377/90, where they are listed in Annex IV as drugs for which no
Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) in food can be set (see Veterinary medicines).
- Chloramphenicol
- Nitrofurans
(e.g. furazolidone)
- Nitroimidazoles (e.g. dimetridazole, metronidazole, ronidazole)
- Dapsone
- Chlorpromazine
- Chloroform
- Colchicine
- Arisotolochia
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The European Union (EU) has also
banned the use of
several classes of drugs used as growth promoters in farm animals
- Stilbenes
- Thyrostats
- Steroid
hormones
- Zeranol
- ß-Agonists (e.g. clenbuterol)
Some
of these agents are known to be dangerous to humans. However, administering drugs that modulate growth
can induce the formation of unnatural hormones and metabolites, and/or unnatural levels of natural hormones,
etc within the animal. The potential hazard of these as well as of drug residues to the human consumer
outweighs the benefit of these drugs, which is solely commercial when used in this way.
Some
short-acting steroid hormone preparations are licensed for veterinary treatment in farm animals and
have been allocated withdrawal times (see Veterinary medicines).
For banned
and unauthorised substances, any confirmed concentration, however low, is an offence. In order to harmonise
enforcement action, the European Commission has stated that the laboratories’ Minimum Required Performance
Limit shall be the threshold residue level above which stringent follow-up measures (e.g. product recall
from shops) become mandatory (Commission Decision 2005/34/EC). However, enforcement action may be initiated
at any confirmed concentration of illegal residues.
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