Regulatory problems caused by contamination, a frequently overlooked cause of veterinary drug residues

The occurrence of violative residues of veterinary medicines and other, unauthorised, drugs in food of animal origin is an issue of popular concern within the European Union. Violations can occur as a result of improper use of a licensed product or through the illegal use of an unlicensed substance. However, a "violative" analytical result does not necessarily mean that abuse has occurred. Contamination of animal feedingstuffs, environmental contamination and animal-to-animal transfer of drugs can also cause residue violations. This paper reviews these inadvertent causes of residues violations in food, and includes data generated using chromatographic and non-chromatographic methods of analysis.