Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 July 2004
128 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food his views on the results of his Department’s residue testing programme for 2003; and the efforts to counteract the use of antibiotics and other drugs banned from human consumption under his Department’s programme. [20098/04]
View answerThe results of the national Residue Plan for 2003, which were recently released by my Department, indicate a continuation of the overall trend of recent years of very low levels of residues in Irish food production. Of 65,3230 samples covering all food producing species and a very broad range of residue groupings, embracing both legal and illegal substances, 238, or 0.36%, were found to be positive. This compares favourably with levels of 0.54% in 2002 and 0.58% in 2001.
As regards the counteraction efforts taken, a distinction should be drawn between authorised antibiotics and banned drugs. A range of antibiotic medicines, which are necessary to maintain the high animal health status of our national herd, are authorised having met the demanding requirements of the licensing regime which is implemented by the Irish Medicines Board and which now includes an assessment of the potential for the medicine concerned to contribute to the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Licensed antibiotics, are also required by law to include on the labelling very clear instructions on the post-treatment withholding period of the treated animal from the food chain. In addition, virtually all categories of antibiotic medicines are currently under veterinary prescription control and I have indicated my intention to bring mastitis treatments, the final outstanding category, under prescription control as soon as possible. My Department, as part of the residue plan, also carries out extensive testing for residues of antibiotics at levels which are well in excess of that required by EU obligations. The positive level of 0.4% in 2003, or 217 positives out of 55,359 samples tested, compares favourably with the low levels of 0.5% and 0.7% respectively in 2002 and 2001. In addition, my Department, in conjunction with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, has for a number of years conducted a programme aimed at building up data on the incidence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in animals as part of the overall national strategy to address the antibiotic resistance problem.
As regards, banned drugs, including hormones, the residue plan also includes extensive testing for such substances as well as inspections on farms and in other commercial outlets. During 2003, while no residues were found of growth promoters covered by the EU hormone ban, this vigilant approach detected one case of supply of an antibiotic which has been banned in the EU since 1995. Arising from this, a number of treated animals were removed from the food chain and the subsequent investigation, while ongoing, is likely to lead to prosecution.
Extensive residue testing is continuing in 2004 which includes improvements in analytical capability in line with ongoing technological developments in this field.
