Pakistan strengthens capacities to monitor Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Food (RVDF)
In January 2025, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has conducted an in-depth assessment mission to review the national capacity to address residues of veterinary drugs in food in Pakistan.
Considering the fundamental role of livestock to Pakistan’s economy—contributing 15% to the national GDP and 61% to the agricultural GDP, according to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2023-24 — ensuring that food safety is maintained through effective residue monitoring is essential for both domestic consumption and export potential.
Building on the Assessment Tool for Laboratory and AMR Surveillance Systems (ATLASS), this initiative focuses on reviewing the national veterinary drug residue monitoring system, aiming to identify key opportunities for improvement. Given the common goals of relevant antimicrobial resistance (AMR) initiatives, beneficiaries, and stakeholders, the ATLASS-RVDF mission was conceived as a joint back-to-back activity, with the two tools respectively covering biological and chemical aspects of AMR management.
In Pakistan, the initial phase of the pilot project of the RVDF tool was initiated in August 2024, evaluating the tool's usability and applicability through interviews and laboratory visits. Pakistan’s livestock sector, comprising around 225 million animals and sustaining approximately eight million rural families, is fundamental to rural livelihoods, contributing 35–40% of household incomes. However, more than 90% of livestock farmers are small-scale producers with only 3–5 animals, making it essential to enhance veterinary drug monitoring to protect public health, support sustainable practices, and ensure compliance with international standards.
Among the several challenges highlighted were Pakistan’s current exclusive focus on exports, leaving domestic produce unmonitored, the absence of central coordination body for residue monitoring and a limited number of capable laboratories with equipment that is essential for conducting confirmatory testing. However, the country has formulated a laboratory network for veterinary drug residue testing, and one government laboratory was found to be in an excellent condition with necessary equipment for residue confirmatory testing. These advantages are significant starting points for improving the monitoring system to be more coherent and efficient. In addition, the level of commitment of the relevant officials and experts was extremely high, and it is essential for the programme to be successful.
During the follow-up mission, awareness on the importance of residue monitoring was strengthened by all assessment interviewees. In four laboratories that are currently involved in residue testing, lab managers, scientists and technicians have become familiar with the RVDF tool. Relevant stakeholder mapping was also conducted to have inclusive and transparent discussions.
Based on the preliminary stakeholder mapping, the mission team visited to have conceptualize the follow-up plans with various stakeholders, including National Veterinary Laboratories (NVL), Animal Husbandry Commissioner / Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) Office, Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), Animal Quarantine Department (AQD), Husein Ebrahim Jamal Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) Karachi, Nuclear Institute of Agriculture and Biotechnology (NIAB), Faisalabad, Pakistan Council of Scientific Industrial Research (PCSIR) Laboratories Complex, Lahore, Punjab Agriculture, Food and Drug Authority, Lahore (PAFDA), Food Safety and Halal Food Authority, Government Of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Peshawar (KP Food Authority), Islamabad Food Authority, Islamabad (IFA) and Fleming Fund Office in Pakistan.
With Pakistan being the fifth-largest milk producer globally and livestock serving as a primary income source for millions of rural households, existing gaps in capacity for enforcement and conducting corrective actions with mitigation strategies may pose serious risks to both food safety and AMR development. Addressing these gaps will not only improve residue monitoring but also help sustain Pakistan’s growing livestock industry and boost its competitiveness in international markets.
The success of the mission represents a crucial step towards improving the country's capacity to address the challenges and effectively monitor antimicrobial residues in food. Because both issues of food safety and AMR are widely cross-cutting to include various sectors, including plant health, animal health, water and food safety, environment, trade and economy, this effort will boost inter-agency collaborations in the Government of Pakistan with inclusive dialogues with a wide variety of stakeholders, and it would also further highlight the importance of taking One Health and Agrifood Systems approaches.
Veterinary drug residue: A veterinary drug residue is the portion of the veterinary drug, that was administered to the animal, that remains in the edible tissues when the tissue is collected for human consumption.
References:
- Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
- Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF)
- JECFA Toolbox for Veterinary Drug Residues Risk Assessment
- Webinar: strengthening country capacities to control & monitor residues of veterinary drugs in food
- Action to support implementation of Codex AMR Texts (ACT)