MAXIMAL RESIDUE LIMITS OF ANTIBIOTICS IN FOODSTUFFS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN

Current analytical procedures trace minute quantities of drug residues in food. Because a no-residue level cannot be required any more, a ma ximal residue level (MRL) has been, or will be, established for all dr ugs which are administered to food-producing animals. Antibiotics pres ent at concentrations below the MRL do not show any direct toxicity, a re too low to incite allergic reactions and do not influence resistanc e of the human enteric bacterial population in a detectable way. In di seased animals the withdrawal periods, mentioned in the instruction le aflet, do not always guarantee that the end products fulfill the speci fications of the European directions.