30 August – 3 September 2010

CODEX - 19th Session of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods, Burlington, United States of America

The Nineteenth Session of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods reached the following conclusions:

Matters for Adoption/Consideration by the 34nd Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission

Draft Standards and Related Texts for adoption at Step 8 of the Procedure

The Committee forwarded:

• Draft MRLs for narasin in pig tissues and tilmicosin in chicken and turkey tissues for adoption at Step 8 (para. 49 and Appendix III);

Other matters for approval (new work)

The Committee forwarded:

• A project document on new work on the development of guidance on performance characteristics for multiresidues methods to be appended to the Guidelines for the Design and Implementation of National Regulatory Food Safety Assurance Programmes Associated with the Use of Veterinary Drugs in Food Producing Animals (CAC/GL 71-2009) (para. 65 and Appendix V);
• The priority list of veterinary drugs for evaluation or re-evaluation by JECFA (para. 83 and Appendix VI);

Other matters for information

The Committee agreed:

• To circulate the proposed amendments to the Risk Analysis Principles for the CCRVDF for comments and consideration at the next session (para. 12 and Appendix II);
• To retain the draft MRLs for narasin in cattle tissues at Step 7 for further consideration in the light of the JECFA assessment of the analytical method (para. 43 and Appendix IV);
• To revise the Risk Analysis Principles applied by the CCRVDF and the Risk Assessment Policy for the Setting of MRLs for Veterinary Drugs with special emphasis to: the revision of Section 3.2 “Evaluation of risk management options” (para. 101); developing risk management and risk communication recommendations for veterinary drugs for which no ADI and/or MRL has been recommended by JECFA either due to specific human health concerns or a lack of information (para. 116); and to consider the “concern form” used by the CCPR (para. 18);
• That the current definition of “hazard” should not be revised (para. 16);
• To consider the development of a policy for extrapolation of MRLs to additional species and tissues (para. 78);
• To continue maintaining the database on need for MRLs of developing countries (para. 87);
• To reiterate the request to FAO and WHO to convene an expert consultation on exposure assessment (para. 100);
• To circulate for comments proposed amendment to the terms of reference of the CCRVDF (para. 113 and Appendix VIII);
• To develop risk management recommendations for the veterinary drugs for which no ADI and/or MRL has been recommended by JECFA due to specific human health concerns (para. 116);
• To develop a policy for the establishment of MRLs or other limits in honey (para. 131).
• To circulate for comments at Step 3 the proposed draft Sampling Plans for Residue Control for Aquatic Animal Products and Derived Edible Products of Aquatic Origin (Table C, Annex B of CAC/GL 71-2009) (para 140 and Appendix VII);

Matters Referred to Codex Committee and Task Forces

The Committee agreed:

• To ask the view of other relevant committees, such as the Committee on Pesticide Residues, on convening an expert consultation to provide scientific guidance on multi-residue analysis, taking into account technological updates and scientific research (para. 64).