Individual data set from the National Residue Control Plan (NRCP) - reference year 2022

The National Residue Control Plan for Food of Animal Origin is a programme that has been in place since 1989 to examine, inter alia, live farm animals, meat, aquaculture products, milk, eggs and honey for residues of undesirable substances. The programme, coordinated in Germany by the BVL, is implemented in the European Union according to uniform standards. The import monitoring plan for products of animal origin from non-EU countries has been implemented on a national basis since 2004. Inspection of consignments and sampling shall be carried out at border inspection posts. Article 4 in conjunction with Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2130 requires Member States to submit consignments of products presented for import to a monitoring plan. Objective of the monitoring The plans serve the preventive health protection of consumers. The aim of the NRCP and the EDP is to detect the illegal use of prohibited or unauthorised substances and to control the correct use of authorised veterinary medicinal products. In addition, the exposure to environmental contaminants such as heavy metals and other undesirable substances is recorded. Since 2010, consignments under the EIP have also been examined for microbiological parameters, histamine, parasites, radioactivity, additives, GMOs, marine biotoxins and other product-specific parameters. The NRCP focuses on the control of livestock, slaughterhouses and the holdings receiving the raw product that has not yet been processed. This applies in particular to farms that process milk, eggs, honey and game. The NRCP therefore makes it possible to monitor animals and animal products from the start of the production process. Sampling at an early stage of the production chain allows products contaminated with residues to be easily traced back to the factory of origin. Sampling is targeted. This means that knowledge of local or regional circumstances is taken into account or that indications of inadmissible or unlawful animal treatment are followed up. The NRCP is therefore not aimed at obtaining statistically representative data. The EIP focuses on the control of food-producing live animals and animal products imported into the European Union via Germany. Sampling shall be risk-based in accordance with the risk approach set out in Regulation (EU) 2017/625. Accordingly, no general conclusions can be drawn from the data on the actual exposure of animal products to undesirable substances.