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Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods
Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods
(Host Government - United States)
The Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF) determines priorities for the consideration of residues of veterinary drugs in foods and recommends Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for veterinary drugs.
A Codex Maximum Limit for Residues of Veterinary Drugs (MRL) is the maximum concentration or residue that results from the use of a veterinary drug (expressed in mg/kg or ?g/kg on a fresh weight basis) recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission to be legally permitted or recognised as acceptable in or on a food.
An MRL is based on the type and amount of residue considered to be without any toxicological hazard from human health as expressed by the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI)*, or on the basis of a temporary ADI that utilises an additional safety factor. An MRL also considers public health risks as well as food technology issues.
*Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI): an estimate by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the amount of a veterinary drug, expressed on a body weight basis, that can be ingested daily over a lifetime without appreciable health risk (standard man – 60kg).
When establishing a MRL, residues that occur in food of plant origin and/or the environment are also considered. Furthermore, a MRL may be reduced to be consistent with good practices in the use of veterinary drugs to the extent that practical and analytical methods are available.
Existing Codex Standards
Standards relating to residues of veterinary drugs in foods* that have been endorsed and adopted into the international food code include standards on:
- Control of the Use of Veterinary Drugs
- Glossary of Terms and Definitions (Veterinary Drugs Residues in Foods)
- Guidelines for the Establishment of a Regulatory Program for Control of Veterinary Drug Residues in Foods
- Maximum Residue Limits for Veterinary Drugs in Food
* This is an indicative list only. For a full list of standards approved by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, please consult its Official List of Standards
Outcomes of the 31st Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
The 31st Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission adopted the Draft Maximum Residue Limit for Colistin at Step 8, and the Proposed draft Maximum Residue Limit for Erythromycin at Step 5/8.
The Commission held the Draft Maximum Residue Limit for Ractopamine at Step 8 for further discussion at its 32nd Session. Members were requested to submit relevant information on the availability of scientific data to the 18th CCRVDF. The Commission further agreed that it would decide on the adoption of the MRLs for Ractopamine based on the report of the 18th CCRVDF.
The Commission also approved new work on the Priority List of Veterinary Drugs for Evaluation or Re-evaluation by JECFA.
Last Meeting
This committee met for its 17th Session in Colorado, USA, on 3–7 September 2007. At this meeting the Committee agreed to the following:
Matters for Adoption/Consideration by the 31st Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
The Committee agreed to forward to the Commission:
- Draft MRLs for colistin and ractopamine for adoption at Step 8 and proposed draft MRLs for erythromycin for adoption at Step 5/8.
New Work
The Committee agreed to forward to the Commission, through the Executive Committee:
- the priority list of veterinary drugs for evaluation or re-evaluation by JECFA,
- a project document for new work on the development of risk management recommendations for veterinary drugs without ADI and/or MRLs due to specific health concerns.
The Committee agreed:
- to discontinue work on the draft and proposed draft MRLs for flumequine in Black tiger shrimp and in shrimps.
Matters referred to Codex Committees and Task Forces
Executive Committee (CCEXEC)
- With regard to Activity 3.3 “Develop committee-specific decision making and priority setting criteria” of the Strategic Plan 2008-2013, the Committee agreed to refer to the Executive Committee and the Commission the outcome of its discussion under Agenda Item 8 “Priority List of Veterinary Drugs Requiring Evaluation or Re-evaluation” and Agenda Item 10 “Discussion Paper on Risk Management Topics and Options for the CCRVDF”.
Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology (TFFBT)
- The Committee was of the opinion that the subject of recombinant-DNA vaccines was beyond its mandate and that it was necessary not to duplicate the work undertaken by OIE on this subject. Therefore, it agreed to indicate the Task Force that it had no specific advice on the matter of recombinant-DNA vaccine.
Other Matters
The Committee also:
- confirmed that the sentence in paragraph 3, point (d) of the Risk Analysis Principle Applied by the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods should be consistent with point (d) of the Terms of Reference of the CCRVDF, as contained in the Procedural Manual,
- agreed to retain the draft MRLs for melengestrol acetate (MGA) in cattle’s tissues at Step 7 with the understanding that the European Community would provide new data for re-evaluation of MGA by JECFA,
- agreed to return the proposed draft MRLs for triclabendazole in cattle, sheep and goat tissues to Step 2 and to consider the MRLs recommended by the next JECFA meeting at its 18th Session,
- agreed to circulate the draft Guidelines for the design and implementation of national regulatory food safety assurance programs associated with the use of veterinary drugs in food producing animals for comments at Step 6,
- agreed to suspend work on the Compendium of methods of analysis identified as suitable to support Codex MRLs, on the understanding that comments submitted in response to CL 2007/04-RVDF would be considered at a later date, if required,
- agreed to establish an electronic Working Group, under the chairmanship of Canada and United Kingdom, to prepare a discussion paper to address:
i) the future of the Compendium;
ii) the link between analytical methods and advancing Codex MRLs to Step 8; and
iii) the criteria necessary for analytical methods to be assessed and considered acceptable;
- agreed to request the Codex Secretariat to prepare a Circular Letter requesting members and observer organizations to: i) provide comments and information on the priority list of veterinary drugs requiring evaluation or re-evaluation by JECFA; and ii) provide and comments on Annex 1 of document CX/RVDF 07/17/12 “Starting point for a priority list of veterinary drugs for discussion at the 17th CCRVDF,
- agreed to establish an electronic Working Group on Priority, under the chairmanship of Australia, to:
i) prepare a Priority list of veterinary drugs for evaluation or re-evaluation by the JECFA with a view to reaching a decision on the safety of residues in food by developing MRLs or by informing risk managers on the safety of residues in food, if it is likely that an ADI or MRL cannot be recommended, and
ii) prepare a working document listing veterinary drugs of potential interest, based Annex 1 to document CX/RVDF 07/17/12 “Starting Point for a Priority List of Veterinary Drugs for Discussion at the 17th CCRVDF”.
- agreed to have further discussion on the establishment of a complete summary of the evaluations and decisions made on veterinary drugs at its 18th Session,
- agreed to establish an electronic Working Group under the chairmanship of the European Community and Mexico that, pending the formal approval of new work by the Commission, would prepare proposed draft risk management recommendations/guidance for veterinary drugs for which no ADI and/or MRL has been recommended by JECFA due to specific human health concerns,
- agreed to request the FAO and WHO to convene an expert group to "develop a general decision tree approach for the evaluation of veterinary drugs, which could identify different options for hazard identification and characterization, and exposure assessment”
- agreed on criteria for prioritization of compounds without ADI and/or MRLs to be evaluated by JECFA,
- agreed to consider establishing a procedure to commit potential sponsors to join forces in order to share costs and efforts to facilitate submission of data for evaluation by JECFA, with a view to closing data gap and ensuring commitment for data availability
- agreed to encourage a global approach for the evaluation of consignments containing residues of veterinary drugs that should not be used in food producing animals,
- agreed to request the Codex Secretariat to prepare a Circular Letter requesting members and observer organisations to provide detailed information on their current practices and suggestion for the scope of further work by the Committee for each of the following topics:
(B-1) Use of the Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) concept
(C-1) Utilization of full ADI; (E-2) Starter culture, and
(E-7) Appending risk management recommendation(s) to MRLs.
- agreed to establish an electronic Working Group,under the chairmanship of France, to prepare a discussion paper that:
i) would review the information provided in response to the Circular Letter, to be prepared by the Codex Secretariat,
ii) assess whether it would provide sufficient ground for further work by the Committee and, where appropriate, would prepare a project document for new work or recommend to delay further action. The discussion paper should also address possible changes in the status of the proposals listed in document CX/RVDF 07/17/13, make appropriate recommendations to the Committee for further consideration and action and collate new proposals with relevant background information and appropriate recommendations to the Committee.
Download the report from the last meeting
Next Meeting
The 18th Session of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods has been scheduled to be held in the USA from 11-15 May 2009.
Download the agenda for this meeting