Veterinary drug residues in food – non-compliance stays low in 2023

The review looks at the presence of authorised and unauthorised pharmacologically active substances and their residues in food. The data in the 2023 report came from the EU Member States^[1], plus Iceland and Norway.

In 2023, the percentage of non-compliant samples was 0.11% (602 of 548,194 samples) overall.

This report is the first to feature a revised division of the samples under three plans:

• National risk-based control plan for production in the Member States - 0.15% non-compliance
• National randomised surveillance plan - 0.29% non-compliance
• National risk-based control plan for third-country imports - 0.23% non-compliance.

EFSA’s report supports risk managers in the European Commission and in Member States to evaluate the effectiveness of control plans on pharmacologically active substances and their residues in limiting the presence of these substance groups in the EU food chain. It also helps determine follow up measures to further reduce non-compliance in subsequent years.

Explore the results in greater detail using our interactive dashboard.

^[1] In accordance with the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 5(4) of the Windsor Framework (see Joint Declaration No 1/2023 of the Union and the United Kingdom in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community of 24 March 2023, OJ L 102, 17.4.2023, p.87) in conjunction with section 24 of Annex 2 to that Framework, for the purposes of this Regulation, references to Member States include the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland.