Commission Decision 98/179 outlines a programme of stratified random sampling whereby a percentage of livestock and their products is sampled annually in each country, to implement Council Directive 96/23/EC in monitoring residues.
In the United Kingdom (UK), the Veterinary Medicines Directorate draws up the National Surveillance Scheme sampling plan for each year using the previous year's livestock and production figures, which in Northern Ireland are reported to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Within each class of animal or product, individual producers are randomly selected for sampling. Substances are categorised into:
- Group A Banned drugs and growth promoters
- Group B Licensed veterinary medicines and miscellaneous contaminants
Details of Northern Ireland's sampling plan under this scheme are available within the tabulated Results. (Further information on the distribution of samples tested for individual drugs and/or groups of drugs can be found in Council Directive 96/23/EC).
National Surveillance Scheme sampling is unannounced, is carried out throughout the year, and a proportion of the samples are taken on-farm. The remainder are taken at the meat plant.
Animals and products sampled under the National Surveillance Scheme are not detained pending the outcome of laboratory testing. However, Council Directive 96/23/EC requires each non-compliant result to be investigated (that is, the presence of a Group A substance, or levels of a Group B substance in excess of the permitted Maximum Residue Limit. (See Residues and Laboratory analysis).
This is carried out by the DARD’s Veterinary Service, in collaboration with the laboratory. Veterinary Service staff may trace the sources of livestock, medicines and feedingstuffs, and may take additional samples at all stages of production in order to ascertain a probable cause.
Council Directive 96/23/EC requires measures to be taken to prevent recurrence, to identify further products and animals containing unacceptable residues and prevent them from entering the human food chain. In Northern Ireland, the Meat Inspection Scheme, Bovine QA Scheme and the Pig Testing Scheme presently supplement and complement the National Surveillance Scheme.
Results are discussed at a DARD-FSA committee (Residues Action Group); if they suggest that there is an emerging residues problem, this may result in additional testing being undertaken.
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