Food security: Developing action plan for residue reduction in livestock products.
Over the years, the federal government has been working on reducing drug residue in agricultural produce that are exported from Nigeria. In this piece, JOHN OBA, reports on developing a National Residues Monitoring Plan for honey and other livestock products.
In the past couple of years, the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture have been active in assisting capacity-building for veterinary drug residues monitoring in various developing countries, primarily to facilitate international trade in animal-derived food products. Due to challenges associated with infrastructure, funding and technology transfer, the majority of developing country’s laboratories are limited to setting up screening methods such as microbial inhibition tests.
Concerns about food safety
Several stakeholders in Nigeria food sector have raised concerns about the level of food safety due to the level of drug residues in live stocks just as the government continues to commit to generating knowledge in order to leverage on the potential for increased consumer demand for safe food as it strives to substantially improve the safety of nutritious foods in informal market settings in Nigeria and also boost Nigeria agricultural export especially to the EU.
One of the most talked about food produced across the country is the chemical/drug residues which according to research are ingestion in honey and other animal products which constitutes a potential health hazard for its consumers, including, the possibility of developing multidrug resistance, carcinogenicity, and disruption of intestinal normal microflora.
Some years ago, as part of the conditions to enable Nigeria export its agricultural products to European countries, the European Union demanded that the country comply with global regulatory standards, hence the need for the country to submit its residue monitoring plan in order to be able to export its honey and other livestock products to EU countries.
Compliance
As a follow-up, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development commenced the development of National Residues Monitoring Plan for honey and other livestock products which will help honey exporters undertake situational analysis, collection of official sampling procedures, sampling level and frequency, methods of analysis, conformance of the sample, traceability and production plans.
The federal government had several years ago, distributed bee keeping, honey processing and laboratory equipment to farmers and research institutes as a means of actualising the plan and ensure food safety.
The procured equipment included modern hives, hives tools, smokers, honey extractors, bee suit, bee wax, rendering machine, laboratory equipment for analysing honey and other hive products.
Residues plan
The National Residue Monitoring Plan (NRMP) is a piece of policy document that enhances operationalization of residue control plan to ensure that honey and livestock produced for both domestic and international markets or imported into the country is safe to eat, and is not contaminated with harmful (drugs/chemical residues) to human health. It also provides the national legal basis for the operationalization of NRCP/NRMP, control of animal remedies and their residues.
It also involves detecting the contamination of foods of animal origin with other undesirable substances from the environment, so-called contaminants.
The objective of the National Residue Control Plan (NRCP) is to verify appropriate controls and practices that can be employed to ensure that harmful pharmacologically active or other substances do not enter the food chain from aquaculture products, therefore protecting consumer safety and meeting the requirements of export.
NRCP is statutory requirement for export to EU countries. Under it, definite sampling schedule and sampling strategies are drawn every year for monitoring the residues.
Residues in honey and other animal products include veterinary drugs residue; pesticides residue; heavy metals residue; growth-promoting hormones; approved animal feed additives and environmental contaminants.
Actions
Responding to the directive by the EU which came on the heels of various concerns raised by key stakeholders in the honey industry, the federal government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with stakeholders in the livestock sector commenced the process of developing the National Residues Monitoring Plan for Honey.
The Director, Federal Department of Veterinary and Pest Control Services in the ministry, Dr Olaniran Alabi, who was represented by Chief Veterinary Officer, Animal Health and Clinical Services, Dr Maimuna Habib, speaking recently at the technical and validation workshop on National Residues Monitoring Plan for Honey for listing at the EU and other international markets urged stakeholders at the workshop to develop a draft National Residues Monitoring Plan for Honey and subsequent validate the Plan.
According to Alabi, it is imperative to ensure that the honey produced in Nigeria is of very good quality devoid of antimicrobial drug residues for the purpose of public health as well as international trade.
He said antimicrobial resistance is a global health threat and all hands need to be on deck to curb this menace adding that the department of Veterinary and Pest Control Services of the ministry would play a very important role in coordinating antimicrobial resistance related issues and activities in the animal health sector.
According to him, the department also has the mandate for issuing international veterinary certificates for the import or export of animal and animal products.
“One aspect of our AMR surveillance system in the Animal Health sector is Antimicrobial Residues Monitoring in food products of animal origin for the purpose of consumer health, food safety and international trade.
“It is important to note that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development hosts the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF) which falls under the National Codex Committee’s Animal and Animal Products Technical sub-committee that coordinates the preparation of national positions and guides national policies on standards, safety and international trade issues relating to animal and animal products.
“Food-producing animals including bees are often treated with veterinary medicines including antimicrobials to prevent or cure diseases. These substances may leave residues in the food from treated animals and bees.
“Food products may also contain residues of pesticides and contaminants to which animals have been exposed to. In all cases, the levels of residues in food products including honey should not harm the consumer,” he said.
He said the aim of the workshop is to raise awareness of antimicrobial residues in honey and its possible implication on food safety and international trade especially with the European Union as well as other international markets.
He stressed the need for greater coordination between competent authorities in boosting honey production free from antimicrobial residues for export to the EU and other markets and a validated National Residues Monitoring programme.
Legislation
Under EU legislation (Council Directive 96/23/EC1), each member state is required to implement a residue monitoring plan and to submit its National Residue Control Plan (NRCP) on annual basis to the European Commission for approval.
According to Alabi, the third world countries wishing to export honey to the EU are similarly required to satisfy the European Commission requirement that their annual National Residue Control Plan (NRCP) meet the EU stipulation.
The Plan is used to ensure that a product sold as honey really is honey, and not an adulterated substance or false honey and to ensure that any honey is safe to eat, and is not contaminated with anything harmful to human health.
He said in implementing the NRCP virtually all positive results would lead to a follow-up investigation at the farm of origin coordinated by veterinary authorities.
