ABSTRACT
The potential risks of the use of veterinary drugs in farm animal production have long been a concern to consumers (Anon., 2016a; Beyene, 2016). There has also been concern about chemicals and other contaminants from indirect sources such as animal feed entering the food chain (Fink-Gremmels, 2012). This chapter reviews the particular challenges of detecting antibiotic residues in animal feed. The biggest potential risk posed by antibiotic residues from sources such as feed is in promoting the development of antibiotic resistance by zoonoses and other harmful microorganisms. The human and animal health threat posed by antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been recognized at national, regional and global levels (Meek et al., 2015). Antibiotics are used in animal husbandry, beekeeping, fish farming and other forms of aquaculture, ethanol production, horticulture, antifouling paints and food preservation. In May 2014, The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasized the global extent of AMR and repeated the need for urgent action (Anon., 2014). In addition to the paucity of hard evidence for more accurate quantification of the social and economic burdens associated with AMR regionally and globally (Fletcher,
2015), the WHO reports that major gaps continue to exist in understanding in order to find solutions to the problem (Anon., 2014).
