The European Union has recommended that Argentina ensure that products from animals treated with oestradiol 17β for therapeutic or zootechnical purposes are not exported to the EU.
This is based on a report by the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) published on 3 February, which assesses the effectiveness of Argentina’s official controls on residues and contaminants in live animals and animal products exported to the EU.
The FVO concludes that, on the whole, “planning of residue monitoring for bovine animals and honey largely takes into account EU requirements”.
The official control system governing the authorisation, distribution and use of veterinary medicines generally ensures the residue status of animals and food destined for the EU market.
However, for oestradiol 17β (growth hormone), the fact that its use is authorised in bovine, equine and ovine animals for therapeutic and zootechnical purposes, while “no system” is in place to ensure that animals treated with this substance are excluded from the food chain destined for the EU market means that the competent authority “is not in a position to reliably certify compliance with the relevant attestations contained in the export health certificates for fresh meat from these species”, the report says (https://aeur.eu/f/8c ). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)