Veterinary drugs residue monitoring in Italian poultry: Current strategies and possible developments

Veterinary drugs residue monitoring is enforced in the EU according to requirements set down in EU Directive 96/23/EC and Commission Decision 97/747/EC; the number of samples to be collected yearly is essentially defined according to production data. The present study aimed to quantitatively estimate the general contamination level of Italian poultry meat by some veterinary drug residues. A sampling plan was designed according to statistical considerations; study results were extrapolated to the general population by means of Bayesian analysis. Only one positive sample, contaminated by sulfonamides, was detected; this low contamination level (0.33%) is very close to the percentage of violative samples detected by the Italian National Residue Plans (NRP) in the period 1995–2001 ( 0.5%). This result, however, was achieved more effectively and at a lower cost than data obtained within NRP’s design and requirements. The study indicated also that statistically based residue monitoring plans ensure better protection levels for consumers, than control systems designed simply as a proportion of production units.