Do growth promoting, antimicrobial or other veterinary drugs affect the food safety of Canadian beef?
Veterinary drugs are regulated by the?Food and Drugs Act?and Regulations. All veterinary drugs go through a Health Canada approval process before they are licensed for use.? The?Health Canada Veterinary Drug Directorate?(VDD) evaluates and monitors the safety, quality and effectiveness, and sets standards for the use of veterinary drugs to ensure that, when used according to label directions, they are safe for both animals and humans.
For a more detailed explanation of the veterinary drug approval process in Canada, download ‘Canada’s Veterinary Drug Approval Process‘
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Label and veterinary directions indicate proper administration doses and routes for veterinary products, as well as pre-slaughter withdrawal times, which ensure that the product has been metabolized by the animal before the meat is harvested. Most drugs are completely metabolized during the prescribed minimum number of days between the last administration of the drug and slaughter, and therefore leave no residue. Continue reading