Sore point: antibiotics
In early January, it became known that the Rosselkhoznadzor has developed and sent to the Ministry of agriculture draft amendments to the law "On veterinary medicine", suggesting a ban on the use of antimicrobials as growth stimulants, as well as for preventive purposes. In addition, the document defines the rules for prescription antibiotics. It is also supposed to introduce a whole article regulating the production of feed with the addition of drugs.
This news is the next stage of the multifaceted problem of the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry, including the dairy industry. In addition, the Rosselkhoznadzor seems to be serious about joining the new powers to control the regional veterinary supervision, which it received since January 1, 2020.
Many questions are still raised by the decision of the EEC Board adopted in February 2018 "On residues of veterinary medicines". To date, more than 70 types of antibiotics are used in animal husbandry. Technical regulation CS 021/2011 "On food safety" regulates the use of six groups of veterinary medicines in animal products - levomycetin, tetracycline group, streptomycin, penicillin for milk. In the case of meat, poultry, eggs, fish and other products, the presence of grisin and bacitracin is checked.
Meanwhile, according to the 28th decision of the EEC Board, which came into force in the summer of 2018, it is entrusted to manufacturers and suppliers to control antibiotic residues in raw materials and animal products, as well as during production control and supervision by Supervisory authorities. According to the explanation of the EEC, the list of Decisions does not oblige to carry out production control for the presence of all veterinary medicines included in it. At the same time, entrepreneurs are given the opportunity to implement a risk-based approach. This means that when purchasing raw materials, such as meat, receiving information from the supplier about the antibiotics used, the processor, if it is necessary, can check the product for the presence of residues of these antibiotics. At the same time, the document gives entrepreneurs the right to use any research methods, which greatly simplifies their work. Players call expensive methods described in the document the main problem.
In 2019, the Law "On circulation of medicines" introduced a new requirement for mandatory indication of methods for detecting antibiotic residues in products in the registration dossier.
- There are certain requirements for the residual amount of antibiotics in meat and milk. For example, to prevent the drug getting from the animal's body to the human body with milk, it must take a certain time necessary for its excretion from the cow's body. The need to specify the method in the registration dossier eliminates the gap when the antibiotic has already been released for sale, and the method of its detection in the product is not available yet, - said Sergey Dankvert in a recent interview.
The problem remains the control of drug residues in the finished product. Many dairy plants express a position according to which it is an excessive measure to look for antibiotics in products for which a veterinary certificate has been issued.
- We stick to a strict position: it is unacceptable when antibiotics, which should be controlled at the farm level, for some reason are looked for in finished dairy products. Especially when the products are made from raw materials, for which a valid veterinary certificate that guarantees its quality and safety has been issued, - said Head of Soyuzmoloko Artem Belov in a recent interview with The DairyNews. - Today only 4 groups of antibiotics are regulated, they have established norms of residual traces, but there are at least more than 50 groups of new drugs for which the residual traces, according to the Rosselkhoznadzor, should be zero. This creates a very serious burden on the business. Today, the Ministry of agriculture proposes amendments to the technical regulations to resolve the issue, but we are sure that there is no need to impose responsibility on the processor and strengthen the responsibility of the veterinarian who issues the certificate", the expert said.
Now the lack of a clear mechanism for standardization remains the main problem of the market.
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