Starting from July 11, 2023, Health Canada has been seeking comments on a proposal to amend the List of Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for Veterinary Drugs in Foods, which sets out the level of residue that is allowed to safely remain in the tissue or food product derived from a food-producing animal that has been treated with veterinary drugs. The proposal includes two parts, namely, new MRLs and revisions to existing MRLs. Comments can be sent via email prior to September 24.
1. New MRLs for seven veterinary drugs in foods
Veterinary drug | Name of the substance for drug analysis purposes | Foods | Maximum residue limits (p.p.m.) |
Azaperone | Sum of Azaperone and Azaperol | Kidney of swine | 0.1 |
Liver of swine | 0.1 | ||
Muscle of swine | 0.06 | ||
Skin and fat of swine | 0.06 | ||
Bacitracin | Bacitracin A | Eggs of chickens | 0.05 |
Dexamethasone | Dexamethasone | Fat of cattle | No MRL required |
Kidney of cattle | 0.001 | ||
Liver of cattle | 0.002 | ||
Muscle of cattle | 0.001 | ||
Milk of cattle | 0.003 | ||
Ketoprofen | Ketoprofen | Fat of cattle | No MRL required |
Liver of cattle | No MRL required | ||
Milk of cattle | 0.05 | ||
Liver of swine | No MRL required | ||
Muscle of swine | 0.1 | ||
Skin and fat of swine | No MRL required | ||
Lincomycin | Lincomycin | Honey | 0.75 |
Tiamulin | 8-α-hydroxymutilin | Fat of rabbit | 0.1 |
Kidney of rabbit | 0.1 | ||
Liver of rabbit | 0.4 | ||
Muscle of rabbit | 0.1 | ||
Tulathromycin | CP-60,300 | Fat of cattle | 0.2 - Expressed as tulathromycin equivalent |
Skin and fat of swine | 0.2 - Expressed as tulathromycin equivalent |
2. Revisions to existing MRLs for one veterinary drug in foods
Veterinary drug | Name of the substance for drug analysis purposes | Foods | Revised maximum residue limits (p.p.m.) |
Ketoprofen | Ketoprofen | Kidney of cattle | 0.45 |
Muscle of cattle | 0.15 | ||
Kidney of swine | 0.4 |