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PloS one2023; 18(4); e0283371; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283371

A comparative survey of veterinarians, equine owners, and equine keepers regarding the knowledge and implementation of legal requirements in Germany for the use and documentation of veterinary medicines in equines intended for slaughter.

Abstract: In Europe, equines destined for human consumption (hereafter called slaughter equines) are subject to the same restrictions of usage of veterinary drugs as other food-producing animals, with amendments regulated in the so-called 'positive list', Regulation (EC) No. 1950/2006. Due to the complex legal requirements for drug administration in slaughter equines, it might be that specific knowledge regarding the legislation of slaughter equines may be insufficient among veterinarians, equine owners, and equine keepers. To study this assumption, three target group-specific surveys were conducted in 2021. Answers from 153 equine treating veterinarians, 170 equine owners, and 70 equine keepers were included in the analysis. In total 68.4% (91/133) of the participating veterinarians, the regulations of the 'positive list', Regulation (EC) No. 1950/2006, were 'rather complicated' to 'complicated'. Among the participating veterinarians, 38.4% (58/151) did not or could not answer correctly how to proceed if a slaughter equine is scheduled to receive phenylbutazone, usage of which is prohibited in all livestock by Regulation (EU) No. 37/2010. Simultaneously, 56.2% (86/153) of the participating veterinarians named phenylbutazone as the, or one of the, most often used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Altogether, 41.2% (70/170) of participating equine owners and 42.9% (30/70) of equine keepers did not know under which circumstances an equine can legally be slaughtered for human consumption. In total, 34.3% (24/70) of the equine keepers classified their knowledge of national regulations for animal keepers regarding the documentation of drug usage in equines as 'poor' to 'nonexistent'. This lack of knowledge in all three surveyed groups, combined with the complex legal regulations regarding the usage and documentation of drugs in slaughter equines, could result in missing and false documentation, treatment of slaughter equines with prohibited substances and therefore pose a risk factor for drug residues in equine meat.
Copyright: © 2023 Schneider et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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Publication Date: 2023-04-06 PubMed ID: 37023045PubMed Central: PMC10079036DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283371Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research aims to compare the understanding and implementation of legal requirements for the use of veterinary medicines in horses intended for slaughter among veterinarians, horse owners, and horse keepers in Germany. The study highlights that a lack of knowledge and complexity of the laws could lead to potential risks like incorrect documentation and the use of prohibited drugs in these equines.

Survey and Participants

  • The assumption that there might be insufficient knowledge about the complicated legal requirements for drug administration in equines among veterinarians, horse owners, and horsekeepers, led the researchers to conduct three specific surveys targeting these groups in 2021.
  • The responses from 153 veterinarians who treat horses, 170 horse owners, and 70 horse keepers were included in the analysis.

Findings and Challenges

  • The regulations set in the ‘positive list’ by Regulation (EC) No. 1950/2006 were found to be rather complex or complicated for 68.4% of the participating veterinarians.
  • About 38.4% of the veterinarians did not know the correct procedure to follow if a horse intended for slaughter is scheduled to receive phenylbutazone, a drug that is prohibited in all livestock according to Regulation (EU) No. 37/2010.
  • Despite the ban, 56.2% of the veterinarians named phenylbutazone as one of the most frequently used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
  • About 41.2% of horse owners and 42.9% of horse keepers did not know under what circumstances a horse can legally be slaughtered for human consumption.
  • Additionally, 34.3% of the horse keepers rated their understanding of national regulations regarding the documentation of drug use in horses as poor to nonexistent.

Conclusions and Implications

  • The study concluded that the perceived complexity of the legal regulations and a clear lack of knowledge among all three surveyed groups could lead to improper documentation and administration of prohibited drugs in horses intended for slaughter.
  • This unawareness poses a risk factor for the presence of drug residues in horse meat which is intended for human consumption, posing potential health risks.
  • Improving awareness and understanding of the legal regulations can help to minimize such risks and ensure animal welfare and public health safety.

Cite This Article

APA
Schneider ST, Meemken D, Gehlen H, Merle R, Langkabel N. (2023). A comparative survey of veterinarians, equine owners, and equine keepers regarding the knowledge and implementation of legal requirements in Germany for the use and documentation of veterinary medicines in equines intended for slaughter. PLoS One, 18(4), e0283371. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283371

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 18
Issue: 4
Pages: e0283371

Researcher Affiliations

Schneider, Shary Tamara
  • Institute for Food Safety and Food Hygiene, Working Group Meat Hygiene, School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Meemken, Diana
  • Institute for Food Safety and Food Hygiene, Working Group Meat Hygiene, School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Gehlen, Heidrun
  • Division for Internal Medicine, Equine Clinic, School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Merle, Roswitha
  • Institute for Veterinary Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Langkabel, Nina
  • Institute for Food Safety and Food Hygiene, Working Group Meat Hygiene, School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Horses
  • Humans
  • Veterinarians
  • Animal Husbandry
  • Veterinary Drugs
  • Phenylbutazone
  • Germany
  • Livestock

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Merle R, Feuer L, Frenzer K, Plenio JL, Bethe A, Sarnino N, Lübke-Becker A, Bäumer W. Antibiotic Use in Horses: Analysis of 57 German Veterinary Practices (2018-2023). Antibiotics (Basel) 2025 Sep 19;14(9).
    doi: 10.3390/antibiotics14090953pubmed: 41009931google scholar: lookup
  2. Schneider ST, Isbrandt R, Gehlen H, Langkabel N, Meemken D. Verification of documentation plausibility in equine passports-drug documentation for geldings in comparison to self-reported veterinarian drug usage for equine castrations in Germany. PLoS One 2023;18(10):e0292969.
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