Guideline / position statementindependent cross-checkabstract only checked I-RES-04 standard review
EU ban on antibiotic growth promoters
Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 on additives for use in animal nutrition, Article 11
Overview
European Parliament and Council. Official Journal of the EU 2003
Since 1 January 2006, antibiotics may not be used as growth promoters in EU animal feed.
Does the study support the specific claim? Unclear · Methodological quality: high
Plain-language summary
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Ban growth promoters.
- How was the study done?
Regulation.
- What was actually found?
Ban from 2006.
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
No legal antibiotic fattening in EU.
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Context.
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
High.
Scientific in-depth review
1. Full reference
- Authors
- European Parliament and Council
- Journal
- Official Journal of the EU
- Year
- 2003
- Identifier
- Verification
- verified – legislation.gov.uk article page fetched via WebFetch 2026-10-25.
- Retracted
- no
- Corrections
- none
- Extent checked
- abstract only
- Conflicts of interest and funding
not applicable (official document)
2. Research question
3. Study design and population
- Study design
- Guideline / position statement – EU regulation on feed additives (Art. 11: phase-out of antibiotic growth promoters)
- Country
EU
- Period
2003 (effective 1 Jan 2006)
4. Methods and endpoints
5. Actual results
- Results
Art. 11(2): 'antibiotics, other than coccidiostats and histomonostats, may be marketed and used as feed additives only until 31 December 2005; as from 1 January 2006, those substances shall be deleted from the Register.'
- Absolute risks
not reported
6. Strengths
- Binding law
7. Weaknesses
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
9. Assessment of the statistical interpretation
10. Relevance to the specific claim
11. Independent contrary findings
12. Transferability to Germany and Europe
High.
13. Overall methodological judgement
Growth-promoter ban reference.
| Multidimensional assessment | |
|---|---|
| Authenticity of the source | verified |
| Methodological quality | high |
| Risk of bias | not assessable |
| Precision of results | not applicable |
| Directness | direct |
| Reproducibility | not replicated |
| Consistency with the overall evidence | unknown |
| Regional transferability | high |
| Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive) | not applicable |
14. Open questions
15. Linked fact checks
- Beef cattle are injected with hormones (testosterone/androgens, 'Boldex' - presumably boldenone) and antibiotics to fatten them, so the meat is 'injected'. – Studies contradicting or limiting the claim
- Antibiotics were (and are) used in poultry production to make chickens grow faster. – Studies supporting the claim