Afssa Sécurité sanitaire des aliments Veille Expertise Recherche Santé publique

The laboratory in Fougères, with 65 members of personnel, mainly contributes to improving knowledge of the benefits and risks of veterinary medicinal product and disinfectant use by the food processing industry.
Its work focuses on:
· screening for residues of veterinary medicinal products in foodstuffs of animal origin
· the anti-microbial effectiveness of antibiotics and disinfectants, and resistance to them
· assessment of the genetic toxicity of food contaminants. A reference laboratory for veterinary medicinal product residues, it is involved in disinfectant controls, the proper use of veterinary medicinal products and the monitoring of resistance to antibiotics, both in France and in Europe.

4 research units

· Veterinary medicinal product residues
· Pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics
· Antimicrobial hygiene products
· Genetic toxicology of food contaminants

Veterinary medicinal product residues: a reference laboratory

As a Community Reference Laboratory (CRL) for antiobiotic and colour residues and National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for veterinary medicinal product residues, through its analytical skills the Afssa laboratory in Fougères contributes to veterinary control:
It improves analytical methods
· conducting and coordination of research on analytical methods
· validation of market analytical methods
It monitors the quality of the analyses carried out by the accredited laboratories for residue control
· assistance with setting up quality assurance systems
· organization of aptitude tests
· training of scientific and technical personnel
· distribution of scientific and technical information
· scientific and technical support
· confirmation analyses
It provides scientific and technical expertise to the authorities
· information
· assistance with implementing monitoring and inspection plans

Veterinary medicinal residue control
The chemical substances contained in medicinal products administered to animals may remain as traces in food.
In Europe, these residues are regulated and controlled:
· the rate at which they break down in animal products and tissues must be studied by the pharmaceutical industry
· they must not exceed a concentration limit, recognised as acceptable for human health (generally from 5 _g/kg to 5 mg/kg, the maximum residue limits in food are laid down by the European Commission at the request of pharmaceutical firms and after assessment by experts, including the ANMV)
· there must be a minimum timeframe between the last administration of a medicinal product and the moment at which animals and their products are made available for consumption (withdrawal period)
· the food processing industry checks for the presence of residues in food
· the authorities check that the maximum residue limits and withdrawal period have been complied with through analyses and surveys

Main research programmes

· Design and validation of methods for confirming veterinary medicinal product residues by mass spectrometry
· Pharmacokinetics of medicinal products and contaminants in animals
· Assessment of efficacy and disinfectant residues
· Assessment of the risk of transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes in human intestinal micro-flora
· Assessment of antibiotic and disinfectant resistance in Campylobacter sp, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecium
· Assessment of the genotoxicity of food contaminants (toxins, newly formed products)

October 2007

Main partners

·European Commission/Directorate General for Health and Consumers
·European Commission/Enlargement Directorate General
·French Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries/Directorate General for Food
·Brittany Region
·University of Rennes (Vie-Agro-Santé Doctoral College)
·“Cyanotoxins” GIS (Scientific Interest Group)
·Network of National Reference Laboratories for veterinary medicinal product residues
·Network of Départemental Analysis Laboratories for veterinary medicinal product residues
·Network of Interprofessional Dairy Laboratories
·Partners of the integrated project BIOCOP (www.biocop.org)
·Network of National Reference Laboratories for antimicrobial resistance
·Mixed Unit INRA/ENV Toulouse
·Network of Laboratories within the CEN and OECD
·International Atomic Energy Agency/FAO
·Afssa’s laboratories
·AFSSET and French Ministry of Ecology
·ADRIA type Technical Centre
·AFISE, Federations of hygiene product manufacturers