Guideline / position statementindependent cross-checkfull text checked I-CHK-02 standard review
EU ban on antibiotic growth promoters
Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 on additives for use in animal nutrition (original text, Article 11 and recitals 25-26)
Overview
European Parliament and Council. Official Journal of the EU (copy at legislation.gov.uk) 2003
Since 2006, antibiotics may not be used as growth-promoting feed additives in the EU.
Does the study support the specific claim? No · Methodological quality: not applicable
Plain-language summary
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Rules for feed additives including phase-out of antibiotic growth promoters
- How was the study done?
EU regulation
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
Not applicable; EU animal feed
- What was actually found?
Article 11(2): antibiotics, other than coccidiostats and histomonostats, may be marketed and used as feed additives only until 31 December 2005; from 1 January 2006 deleted from the Register. Recital 25 cites the Scientific Steering Committee: growth-promoting antimicrobials from classes used in medicine should be phased out.
- How large was the observed effect?
Not applicable
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
"Routine antibiotics for growth" is not legal in the EU.
- What are the study's limitations?
Therapeutic and prophylactic veterinary use regulated separately (not covered)
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Limits the claim for the EU.
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
Directly EU.
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
Does not cover therapeutic use.
Scientific in-depth review
1. Full reference
- Authors
- European Parliament and Council
- Journal
- Official Journal of the EU (copy at legislation.gov.uk)
- Year
- 2003
- Identifier
- Verification
- verified – Original adopted text fetched 2026-10-25 from https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2003/1831/article/11/adopted and /introduction/adopted (EUR-Lex blocked automated access)
- Retracted
- no
- Corrections
Later amendments exist (not reviewed)
- Extent checked
- full text
- Conflicts of interest and funding
Not applicable
2. Research question
Rules for feed additives including phase-out of antibiotic growth promoters
3. Study design and population
- Study design
- Guideline / position statement – EU regulation
- Population
EU animal feed
- Country
EU
- Period
Adopted 2003; antibiotics other than coccidiostats/histomonostats removed from register from 1 January 2006
- Sample size
Not applicable
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria
Not applicable
4. Methods and endpoints
- Exposure / intervention
Antibiotics as feed additives
- Comparator
Not applicable
- Endpoints
Legal status
- Statistical methods
Not applicable
5. Actual results
- Results
Article 11(2): antibiotics, other than coccidiostats and histomonostats, may be marketed and used as feed additives only until 31 December 2005; from 1 January 2006 deleted from the Register. Recital 25 cites the Scientific Steering Committee: growth-promoting antimicrobials from classes used in medicine should be phased out.
- Absolute risks
Not applicable
- Authors' conclusion
Not applicable
6. Strengths
- Binding law
7. Weaknesses
- Therapeutic and prophylactic veterinary use regulated separately (not covered)
8. Risk of bias
- Orienting tool
- none applicable
- Type of assessment
- simplified assessment (abstract only)
- Full formal assessment
- no
- Overall risk of bias
- not assessable
- Rationale
Legal text.
9. Assessment of the statistical interpretation
Not applicable.
10. Relevance to the specific claim
11. Independent contrary findings
Not applicable.
12. Transferability to Germany and Europe
Directly EU.
13. Overall methodological judgement
Antibiotic growth promoters banned in EU since 2006.
| Multidimensional assessment | |
|---|---|
| Authenticity of the source | verified |
| Methodological quality | not applicable |
| Risk of bias | not assessable |
| Precision of results | not applicable |
| Directness | indirect |
| Reproducibility | unknown |
| Consistency with the overall evidence | unknown |
| Regional transferability | high |
| Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive) | not applicable |
14. Open questions
Egyptian equivalent (not verified).
15. Linked fact checks
- Industrial chicken is raised with routine antibiotics, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (e.g., ESBL E. coli, MRSA, resistant Campylobacter, mcr-1) spread from poultry to humans via the food chain. – Studies contradicting or limiting the claim
- Chickens were fed arsenical drugs (roxarsone) that raise carcinogenic inorganic arsenic in chicken meat and in consumers. – Studies with mixed or unclear results