[ S.L.449.18 RESIDUES IN MEAT 1 SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 449.18 RESIDUES IN MEAT REGULATIONS 1st October, 1998 LEGAL NOTICE 142 of
- The title of these regulations is Residues in Meat Regulations.
- In these regulations unless the context otherwise requires - Title. Interpretation. "aquaculture animal" means live fish, crustaceans or molluscs coming from a fish-farm, including those from the wild intended for a farm; "Director" means the Director of Veterinary Service; "farm animal" means a domestic animal of the bovine, porcine, ovine and caprine species, domestic solipeds and rabbits, wild animals of those species and wild ruminants which have been raised on a holding, as well as such aquaculture animals as are used intensively; "illegal treatment" means the use of unauthorized substances or products, or the use of substances or products authorised under special conditions; "pet" means any companion animal; "sale" includes to offer, expose, advertise or keep for sale and supply by way of compensation or otherwise; " t h e r a p eu t i c t r e at m e n t " m e a n s t h e a d m i n i s t er i n g , u n d er regulation 5, to an individual farm animal an authorised substance to treat, after examination by a veterinarian, a fertility problem, including the termination of unwanted gestation, and, in the case of beta-agonists, to induce tocolysis in cows when calving, to treat respiratory problems, and to induce tocolysis in equidae raised for specific purposes other than meat production; "veterinarian" means a licensed veterinary surgeon; "zootechn ical treatm ent" means the adm inistering of an y substance (a) to an individual farm animal, authorised under regulation 6, for synchronizing oestrus, and preparing donors and recipients for the implantation of embryos, after examination of the animal by a veterinarian, or, in accordance with the proviso to regulation 6
(1), under his responsibility; and (
- b)in the case of aquaculture animals, to a group of breeding animals for sex inversion on a veterinarian’s prescription and under his responsibility. 3. The Director shall prohibit: (
- a)the placing on the market of stibenes, stilbene Prohibition of chemical products. 2 [ S.L.449.18 RESIDUES IN MEAT derivatives, their salts and esters; thyrostatic substances; and chloramphenicol or any salt or ester thereof, for administering to animals of all species; and (
- b)the placing on the market of beta-agonists for administering to animals the flesh and products of which are intended for human consumption and for other purposes other than those provided for in regulation 5(b). Further prohibitions. 4. The Director shall furthermore prohibit: (
- a)the administering to a farm aquaculture animal, by any means whatsoever, of substances having a thyrostatic, oestrogenic, androgenic or gestagenic action, chloramphenicol and beta-agonists; (
- b)the holding, except under offcial control, of animals referred to in paragraph (
- a)on a fish-farm, the placing on the market or slaughter for human consumption of farm animals or of aquaculture animals which contain the substances referred to in paragraph (
- a)or in which the presence of such substances has been established, unless proof can be given that the animals in question have been treated in accordance with regulation 5 or 6; (
- c)the placing on the market for human consumption of aquaculture animals to which substances referred to in paragraph (
- a)have been administered, and of processed products derived from such animals; (
- d)the placing on the market of meat of the animals referred to in paragraph (b); and (
- e)the processing of the meat referred to in paragraph (d). Limitations. 5.
(1)Notwithstanding regulations 3 and 4, the Director may authorise (
- a)the administering to farm animals, for therapeutic purposes, of oestradiol 17ß, testosterone, progesterone and derivatives which readily yield the parent compound on hydrolysis after absorption at the site of application. Veterinary medicinal products used for therapeutic treatment must be administered only by a veterinarian, by injection or for the treatment of ovarian dysfunction in the form of vaginal spirals but not by implant, to farm animals which have been clearly identified. Treatment of identified animals must be registered by the veterinarian responsible therefor who shall record at least the following details in a register: - the type of treatment, the type of products authorised, the date of treatment, the identity of the animals treated, the identity of the establishment where the RESIDUES IN MEAT [ S.L.449.18 animals treated are housed. The register must be made available to the competent authority at its request; (
- b)the administration for therapeutic purposes of authorised veterinary medicinal products containing: (
- i)allyl trenbolone, administered orally, or betaagonists to equidae and pets provided they are used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions; (
- ii)beta-agonists, in the form of an injection to induce tocolysis in cows when calving: Provided that these substances must be administered by a veterinarian or, in the case of the veterinary medicinal products referred to in sub-paragraph (i), under his direct responsibility. Treatment by such substances must be registered by the veterinarian responsible therefor, who shall record at least the details referred to in paragraph (a).
(2)Farmers shall be prohibited from holding veterinary medicinal products containing beta-agonists which may be used for induction in the treatment of tocolysis: Provided that, without prejudice to the proviso to paragraph (b), the therapeutic treatment of production animals, including breeding animals, at the end of their reproductive life, shall be prohibited. 6.
(1)Notwithstanding the provisions of regulation 4(a) and without prejudice to regulation 3, the Director may authorise the administering to farm animals, for the purpose of zootechnical treatment, of veterinary medicinal products having an oestrogenic, androgenic or gestagenic action. Such veterinary medicinal p r od ucts m us t b e adm in ister ed by a v eter inar ian to clearl y identified animals, and the treatment must be recorded by the veterinarian responsible therefor in accordance with regulation 5(a): Provided that the Director may allow the synchronization of oestrus, the interruption of pregnancy and the preparation of donors and recipients for the implantation of embryos to be effected not directly by the veterinarian, but under his responsibility.
(2)With regard to aquaculture animals, young fish may be treated for the first three months for the purpose of sex inversion with veterinary medicinal products that have an androgenous action and which are authorised by the Director for that purpose.
(3)In the cases provided for in this regulation, the veterinarian shall mak e out a n on-renewab le p rescrip tion specif ying the treatment in question and the quantity of the product required, and shall record the products prescribed: Provided that zootechnical treatment of production animals, including during the fattening period for breeding animals Zootechnical treatment. 3 4 [ S.L.449.18 RESIDUES IN MEAT at the end of their reproductive life, shall be prohibited. Hormonal products. 7. (
- a)The use of the following hormonal products is not authorised: (
- i)products acting as a deposit; (
- ii)products with a withdrawal period of more than fifteen days after the end of treatment; (iii) products: - whose conditions of use are not known, - for which no reagents or equipment exist to detect the presence of residues in excess of the permitted limits in the case of analytical techniques. (
- b)The use of veterinary medicinal products containing beta-agonists which have a withdrawal period of more than twenty-eight days after the end of treatment is not authorized. Trade requirements. 8. (
- a)For the purpose of trade, the Director may authorise the placing on the market of animals for breeding that have undergone treatment referred to in regulations 5 and 6, and may authorise the affixing of the veterinary stamp to meat from such animals where the conditions laid down in regulations 5 and 6 and the minimum withdrawal periods laid down in regulation 7 under paragraphs (a)(
- ii)or (
- b)respectively, or the withdrawal periods provided for in the authorization to place on the market, are complied with: Provided that trade in high-value horses, in particular racehorses, competition horses, circus horses or horses intended for study purposes or for exhibitions, including registered equidae to which veterinary medical products containing allyl trenbolone or beta-agonists have been administered for the purposes referred to in regulation 5, may take place before the end of the withdrawal period provided that the conditions governing administration are fulfilled and that the type and date of treatment are entered on the certificate or passport accompanying such animals. (
- b)Meat or products from animals to which substances having an oestrogenic, androgenic or gestagenic action and to which beta-agonists have been administered in accordance with the dispensatory provisions of these regulations, may not be placed on the market for human consumption unless such animals have been treated with veterinary medicinal products complying with the requirements of regulation 7, and in so far as the withdrawal period laid down was observed before the animals were slaughtered. Further checks by the Director. 9. The Director shall ensure that (
- a)at the time of the import, manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and use of the substances referred to RESIDUES IN MEAT [ S.L.449.18 5 in regulations 3 and 4(a), their possession is restricted to the authorised persons; (
- b)checks are carried out by the competent authorities without prior notice with a view to ascertaining facts relating to (
- i)the possession or presence of substances or products prohibited under regulation 3 intended to be administered to animals for the purpose of fattening; (
- ii)the illegal treatment of animals; (iii) failure to observe the withdrawal periods provided for in regulation 7; (
- iv)failure to observe the restrictions on the use of substances or products laid down in regulations 5 and 6; (
- c)tests are carried out to detect the presence of (
- i)the substances referred to in paragraph (
- a)in animals, in the drinking water of animals, and in all places where animals are bred or kept; (
- ii)residues of the aforementioned substances in live animals, in their excrement and body fluids, and in animal tissues and products; and (
- d)where the checks provided for in paragraphs (
- b)and (
- c)reveal (
- i)the presence of substances or products the use or possession of which is prohibited, or the presence of residues of substances the administration of which is classified under the heading of illegal treatment, such substances or products should be confiscated, while any animals treated with such substances or meat therefrom should be placed under official supervision until the requisite penalties have been applied; (
- ii)in the case of failure of compliance with the requirements of paragraphs (b)(
- ii)and (iii), the competent authority should take appropriate measures consistent with the gravity of the infringement. 10. Undertakings buying or producing substances having a thyrostatic, oestrogenic, androgenic or gestagenic action and betaagonists, undertakings authorised in any capacity to market such substances, and undertakings buying or producing pharmaceutical and veterinary medicinal products from such substances, shall be required to keep registers detailing, in chronological order, quantities produced or acquired, and those sold or used for the production of pharmaceutical and veterinary medicinal products, and the names of the persons to whom such quantities were sold or from whom they are purchased. Such information must be made av a il ab le to th e Di r ect o r at h i s r eq u es t an d , in t h e cas e of Purchase and sale records. 6 [ S.L.449.18 RESIDUES IN MEAT computerized records, it shall be made available in the form of a print-out. Import requirements. 11. (
- a)Countries whose legislation authorises the placing on the market and the administration of stilbenes, stilbene derivatives, their salts and esters, thyrostatic substances or chloramphenicol, for administering to animals of all species, will not appear on any of the lis ts wh ich au tho r ise th e im p or tatio n of f ar m or aquaculture animals or meat or products obtained from such animals. (
- b)The Director shall also prohibit the importation of: (
- i)farm or aquaculture animals - to which substances or products referred to in regulation 3(
- a)have been administered by any means whatsoever; - to which substances or products referred to in paragraph regulation 4(
- a)have been administered, unless those substances or products were administered in compliance with the provisions and requirements laid down in regulations 5, 6 and 8, and the withdrawal periods allowed in international recommendations have been observed; and (
- ii)meat or products obtained from animals the importation of which is prohibited under sub-paragraph (i). (
- c)Animals intended for breeding, breeding animals at the end of their reproductive life, or meat therefrom, may be imported from countries which provide guarantees at least equivalent to those laid down in these regulations. (
- d)Checks on imports shall be carried out by the Director.