Veterinary medicines as growth promoters
The treatment of farm animals with growth-promoting antibiotics has been banned on European soil since January 1, 2006. If a mirror measure has been adopted in 2018 at the European level on this issue, it has not yet been implemented.
Article 118 of the regulation on veterinary medicines of December 11, 2018, provides for a mirror measure on meat from animals treated with antibiotics as growth promoters imported from third countries. A delegated act was expected by January 28, 2022, to make this measure effective. However, the text finally published on February 23, 2022, still left it to an implementing act to decide on the modalities of sanitary controls and the list of approved third countries allowed to export animal products to the EU.
This lack of decision prompted France to legislate on its own: on January 22, 2022, a ministerial order by Julien Denormandie, Minister of Agriculture, was issued banning exports of meat from animals raised with growth-promoting antibiotics, effective from April 22, 2022. However, the control modalities of this unilateral measure at the national level remain unclear.
A new implementing regulation was finally published on January 29, 2024. However, it is based on a self-declaration approach and still does not contain the list of approved third countries to export animal products to the EU. Furthermore, the mirror measure will only be applied in 2026.
