The latest report of the U.K. government surveillance scheme for
toxic residues in food has highlighted problems of drug residues in:

* Imported honey (10% of samples had antibiotic residues above the
safety level)

* Imported warm water prawns (over 9% has nitrofuran residues above
the safety level)

* Quail eggs (over one third of eggs sampled contained antibiotic
residues)


There are also continuing problems of:

* Coccidiostat (drugs used to treat intestinal parasites) residues in
chicken eggs. Free-range eggs were affected as well as caged layer
eggs.

* Coccidiostat residues in chicken livers

* Antifungal drug residues in farmed fish (both home-grown and
imported)


Occasional samples of beef and lamb and (more rarely) pig's liver
were found to contain drug residues.

Venison, and game bird meat was almost always free of drug or toxic
mineral residues.


[Reference: Medicines Act Veterinary Information Service Edition 50
April 2004]