AASV Recommendations to Meet Requirements and Prevent Violative Residues in U.S. Pork and Pork Products

Veterinarians, producers and packers must work together to ensure the safety of pork and pork products through ensuring compliance with United States as well as importing country regulatory requirements for residue limits.

General Recommendations on residue avoidance:

• Withdrawal period specified on labels of animal health products and compounds sold in the United States are set to meet United States residue requirements. 
• Use a scientifically based recommendation to prevent violative residues.
• If a withdrawal period cannot be determined for a product or compound, then it shouldn’t be used, especially when the residue requirement is zero and any detected amount would be violative.
• All veterinarians should work with their producer clients to ensure the use of animal health products or compounds does not result in violative residues.
• Follow Pork Quality Assurance® Plus (PQA Plus®) Good Production Practices to help prevent mistakes.

Additional recommendations for Maximum Residue Limit (MRL):

• If pork or pork products are meant for export, extended withdrawal periods may be required to be below Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) requirements of the importing country. 

Approved by the AASV Board of Directors on April 27, 2023.

This statement replaces AASV Recommendations to Meet Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) Requirements of U.S. Pork dated October 3, 2006.