You must keep a veterinary medicines record if you're a livestock keeper of:
cattle
sheep
goats
pigs
shellfish
fish
bees
poultry
You must record any treatments and make this available to an inspector when asked.
The veterinary medicines record must contain information on:
the identity of the animal(s) treated
the name and quantity of the drug
the date and method of administration
the withdrawal period observed, within the meaning of that expression in the Monitoring Directive
There are various publications available to record medicines administered to animals. Vet medicine books for the species you keep can be ordered online at the gov.uk website.
If you prefer, or you can use this form to record.
Residue surveillance
The Minister is required to analyse samples from food producing animals for residues of veterinary medicines and prohibited substances.
Legislation requires the analysis of samples from food producing animals for residues of:
This requires an annual surveillance plan which is operated by Natural Environment and Environmental Health. The plan covers:
red meat (bovine)
honey
milk (bovine)
Substances to be tested
These are set out for each species in the Annexes I and II of Council Directive 96/23/EC.
The annual plan for testing of samples runs from January to December. Sample analysis is carried out by Fera Science Ltd in the UK.
Non-compliant samples
When a sample is found to contain an unacceptable residue, an investigation is carried out at the farm of origin to establish the cause.
For minor breaches of legislation, the farmer, and if appropriate their vet, will be given advice to help avoid this happening again.
More samples may be taken if there are concerns about the residues status of the animals, and movement restrictions on the animals may be imposed. The Minister can take further action in serious cases which may lead to disposal of stock and prosecution.
Produce from the farmer will be targeted again for sampling.